Sprint Enhances Tampa Network for Thousands of Delegates, Volunteers and Journalists Attending the 2012 Republican National Convention

Business Wire

Wednesday, August 22nd 2012

Convention viewers can tweet their way to winning a marble white Samsung Galaxy S^® III

Sprint [NYSE: S] loves it when customers stay politically engaged using its wireless services, truly unlimited data plans, smartphones and tablets – whether it’s receiving a text message about a candidate’s volunteer event or linking a candidate’s latest speech to their favorite social media site.

For the estimated 40,000 to 45,000 delegates, volunteers, journalists, staff and visitors expected to convene in Tampa this week for the 2012 Republican National Convention, Sprint is enhancing capacity and coverage for voice, text messaging and data to serve their round-the-clock needs.

Sprint’s network enhancements in Tampa include:

Investing $9.7 million to augment in-building wireless service and point-to-point coverage as convention attendees move between venues.
Boosting data capacity in downtown Tampa network by 25 percent by adding five permanent macro cell sites.
Deploying a COW (Cell Site on Wheels) near the Tampa Bay Convention Center to enhance capacity and coverage for voice, data and text messaging along Bayshore Boulevard.
Installing voice and data carriers to 41 existing Tampa area cell sites.
Installing an outdoor cell site between the Tampa Bay Convention Center and Tampa Bay Times Forum that will provide additional coverage and capacity outside and between these venues.
Supplying to each official convention venue a Distributed Antenna System (DAS) to provide the necessary in-building coverage and the dedicated capacity needed to support the anticipated number of attendees at each location.
Providing Tropicana Field – the location of the convention’s kickoff event – a DAS to enhance wireless coverage and capacity.

“Sprint is proud to support the thousands of delegates, staff, volunteers and media attending the convention, by providing the necessary wireless enhancements to get immediate convention details, post photo and videos to their favorite social media sites, and send email and text messages to their friends and colleagues,” said Steve Elfman, president-Network Operations & Wholesale, Sprint. “As the only national wireless carrier to offer a truly unlimited data experience, Sprint wants customers to enjoy events like this with seamless service and without worry for a need to curb their wireless usage.”

Enhancing Sprint’s Tampa network for the convention and beyond

The network enhancements in Tampa won’t stop when the convention stops. During the next 90 days, the Tampa area is expected to receive 121 additional enhancements to its 3G network, part of Sprint’s continued effort to improve customers’ wireless experience.

Customers in select markets are beginning to enjoy the benefits of Network Vision, an all-new nationwide 3G/4G network. This new network provides better 3G service – with a stronger wireless signal, faster data speeds, expanded coverage and better in-building performance – and a 4G LTE network with faster speeds for data applications.

Sprint launched 4G LTE in July 2012 and expects to have largely completed the build-out of the network by the end of 2013. For the most up-to-date details on Sprint’s 4G LTE portfolio and rollout, visit www.sprint.com/4GLTE.

Sprint social media contest for the Samsung Galaxy S III

In addition to providing enhanced wireless for convention-goers, Sprint is offering Twitter users a chance to win a marble white Sprint 4G LTE-capable Samsung Galaxy S^® III on Thursday, Aug. 30 – the final night of the Republican National Convention.