Verizon expands coverage at the ballpark, including Kansas City for the All-Star game

Over the weekend, we told you how hard it is for those watching a game at the ballpark to receive a decent data connection while sitting in the stands. Verizon is trying to make using a smartphone at the game a better experience for its customers. It all starts with the All-Star game in Kansas City, a city where Big Red has had an LTE network up and running since last November. A Verizon COLT (Cell on Light Truck) will be outside the park during the All-Star game on Tuesday to enhance the network's 4G LTE signal. COLT is a generator powered cell site that has the same capacity as a freestanding cell site. Big Red rolls it out when it anticipates larger than normal demand for it network.

Every year, Verizon says it spends $6 billion on network improvements. This year, much of Verizon's improvements have come near ballparks. On the Northside of Chicago, Big Red has installed a Distributed Antenna System to help with the wireless traffic near Wrigley Fields. The Cubs, by the way, still are playing poorly.

In Detroit, the team's name ins the Tigers, but it is Verizon's COW that is enhancing the current wireless traffic in the area. The Cell on Wheels is a mobile, generator powered cell site that works best for dense crowds in a small area. The downtown area by the Tiger's Stadium should have improved 3G and 4G signals thanks to the COW. In Miami, where the Marlins have opened their new Marlins Park with the retractable roof, Verizon installed 4G LTE and 3G EV-DO base station equipment and connected it directly to the ballpark's DAS. At the same time, capacity was increased at cell sites near downtown Miami.

source: Verizon