Network Teed Up for the AT&T Byron Nelson

Tens of thousands of golf fans are hitting the links this week to check out the AT&T Byron Nelson, and they’re doing it with their smartphones in hand.  Attendees of the tournament are increasingly using their mobile devices to share the most memorable tournament moments – from the longest drive to a hole-in-one. That’s why AT&T is working to make sure its network is on par with the influx in mobile data traffic by rolling out three COWS, which will help increase cellular capacity across the course. Combined, the technology will provide attendees with more than double the capacity compared to last year’s event. Taking it a step further AT&T has installed Wi-Fi throughout areas of the course to help ensure that golf fans stay connected.

What kind of data will we see across our network at the AT&T Byron Nelson? If the recent tournament in Fort Worth is any indicator, the scores by the players on the course will be low, but the network metrics from the fans will be high. At the recent tournament, we deployed three COWs (Cell on Wheels) and a temporary mobile outdoor Distributed Antenna System (oDAS) and our customers on the course used more than 1.5TB of data. 1.5TB is equal to 4.2M social media posts with photos.

So, as you head out to the AT&T Byron Nelson this week, grab your favorite golf hat, sunscreen and your mobile device and make sure to share your favorite moments from the front nine to the back nine.