SuperBowl communication provided by LGC Wireless and Airtouch
LGC Wireless announced that it has teamed up with AirTouch Cellular to provide clear and consistent communication for National Football League (NFL) executives and media at Super Bowl XXXIV in Atlanta.
LGC has installed its LGCell system in the Hyatt Hotel in Atlanta for AirTouch to serve the Super Bowl "nerve center" for the NFL and media. The system ensures that cellular telephone users inside the hotel will have consistent and clear wireless service. AirTouch has distributed 400 phones for use by NFL executives and the media. Other cellular users in the hotel will also benefit from the LGC technology.
AirTouch, which is providing cellular service to the NFL and its players, brought LGC Wireless in to ensure that coverage remains consistent throughout the Hyatt. Earlier, AirTouch found that cellular coverage was spotty and inconsistent in some parts of the large hotel and nonexistent in others. Some large indoor areas and public spaces have thick concrete and steel walls, materials that make them particularly challenging for the transmission of wireless signals. AirTouch engineers talked to LGC Wireless and decided to implement the LGCell, a patented wireless access system that uniformly provides reliable and clear wireless communications for cellular or PCS users inside any facility.
The LGCell system covers the ground floors, specifically the ballrooms and meeting rooms, where most of the Super Bowl activities happen. The entire AirTouch project took only nine days and the LGC system installation required less than three days.
"The results exceeded our expectations," said Marc Bahn, Senior Lead RF Engineer of AirTouch. "It covers even areas that I didn't expect it would cover."
The system was up and running as Super Bowl activities took center stage in the Hyatt Hotel. Bahn said that after the system was turned on and optimized, the macro site quickly became AirTouch's busiest site as employees, press and others used their phones for internal communication and to conduct business from inside the hotel. In addition to reliable wireless coverage, users have the benefit of increased battery life on their phones because the LGCell system draws less power.
"The AirTouch project in Atlanta is a perfect showcase for the capabilities of the LGCell," said Dave Cutrer, Co-Founder and Vice President of Marketing of LGC Wireless. "Most people rely on consistent wireless coverage in outside areas but don't think much about the same reliability in inside areas such as hotels and other public places."
About LGC Wireless
LGC Wireless is a leading supplier of wireless networking solutions, offering enhanced coverage and capacity for mobile voice and data networks. The company's wireless networking products provide mobile users access to high quality voice and high-speed wireless data via cellular and PCS networks. LGC is currently shipping product to more than 12 countries. Supported wireless access standards include TDMA, CDMA, GSM, iDEN, and 3G. For more information, please visit our web site at http://www.lgcwireless.com.
LGCell is a registered trademark of LGC Wireless.
About AirTouch
AirTouch serves 9 million U.S. cellular and PCS customers on a proportionate basis. Its ventures operate in 25 states and 22 of the top 30 U.S. markets, including Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, Detroit, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, Phoenix, San Diego, San Francisco and Seattle. AirTouch is part of the Vodafone AirTouch Group, the world's largest wireless communications firm, based in the United Kingdom. It has mobile operations in 24 countries on five continents, with more than 31 million proportionate customers. For more information, visit the AirTouch web site at www.AirTouch.com.