Business View Magazine - July 2016 19
In anticipation of record data usage by the tens of
thousands of visitors to this year’s national political
conventions, Verizon has made significant enhance-
ments to its network in the host cities and convention
facilities.
“We know sharing the convention experience is im-
portant for visitors to Cleveland and Philadelphia so
we have invested millions of dollars and worked for
several years on upgrading our networks and adding
capacity for these events,” said Lynn Ramsey, Vice
President Network Operations – Verizon.
When the Republican National Convention (RNC) ar-
rives in Cleveland July 18-21, Verizon will have com-
pleted improvements to the city’s #1 overall network
as rated by RootMetrics in a recent Metro Rootscore
report.
Verizon is doubling the network capacity to its neu-
tral host Distributed Antenna System (DAS) at Quick-
en Loans Arena, the main convention facility. A DAS
system consists of a series of smaller antennas net-
worked together throughout a venue. Specifically for
the RNC, new on-the-floor antenna sectors will be
added to provide coverage for delegates. Verizon’s
existing small cells covering the surrounding areas –
including the arena parking lots – were also upgraded
to double the network capacity.
New indoor wireless DAS systems were also installed
at the Cleveland Convention Center (including the
downtown Hilton Hotel), the Ritz Carlton, Tower City
Center, and JACK Casino facilities. Network optimiza-
tion and new small cell sites will enhance Verizon’s
network peak speeds and capacity in key convention
areas, such as the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
For the Democratic National Convention (DNC) in Phil-
adelphia on July 25-28, major upgrades to Verizon’s
networks in downtown Philadelphia for the historic
Pope Francis visit in 2015 have remained in place.
Network capacity was quadrupled for the visit with
upgrades including 11 miles of new fiber optic cable,
new cell sites and a system of small cells in the down-
town area, as well as capacity enhancements at the
airport, downtown hotels and SEPTA stations.
At the Wells Fargo Center, Verizon has installed a sys-
tem to improve capacity by more than 550 percent,
which is equal to more than six times greater capacity
than before. Outside the center, a temporary cell site
known as a Cell on Wheels (COW) will add capacity
in Parking Lot E. To better serve surrounding parking
lots, additional small cells and network capacity have
been added at nearby Lincoln Financial Field.
Verizon has installed new fiber at multiple locations
in downtown Philadelphia, including Independence
Mall and The National Constitution Center, for use by
broadcast media covering the convention. New fiber
was also added to the Wells Fargo Center, doubling
the capacity at the facility for broadcast media and
other connectivity needs.
Verizon will monitor network operations 24/7 at both
the RNC and DNC. Each convention will feature a spe-
cial command center that will house technicians and
engineers who will communicate directly with the
public safety officials and convention organizers in the
case of severe weather or other emergency.
A key contributor to Verizon’s network success is its
consistent capital investment in its wireless network
to lead in innovation and stay ahead of customers’ de-
mands. Since 2000, Verizon has invested more than
$111 billion across the U.S. to provide its customers
with a reliable network for voice calls, multimedia
communication, media consumption, and interactive
gaming.
