Holy COW: Wireless providers prepare for the conventions*

Along with the thousands of Democrats pouring into Denver in preparation for the Democratic National Convention, there will also be a few cows. No, Elsie isn't on the Democratic ticket (yet). These cows are much more technological -- they're cell sites on wheels, also known as COWs.

Wireless providers have spent months making sure their networks can handle all of the calls and text messages (thanks, Barack Obama) that will be made during the Democratic convention, which begins today in Denver, and the Republican National Convention, which begins next Monday in St. Paul, Minn. That includes bringing in COWs and COLTs (cell sites on light trucks), which can cost around $20,000 each to deploy.

"We're looking at the largest amount of data and traffic to cross our wireless network of any event to date," said Jace Barbin, general manager of AT&T for the Rocky Mountain region. AT&T looked at usage numbers during the Super Bowl in Arizona and the Final Four in San Antonio and multiplied them by six to calculate the amount of traffic that would pass over its network during the Democratic convention, he said. He wouldn't share exact numbers.

AT&T is the official wireless provider of the convention, which means it will give DNC staff some free gear and will offer spots for people bored of political networking to try out the iPhone. The company has been working for a year to upgrade its existing network in Denver so that its cell sites can handle all the calls and text messages from convention attendees.

The providers bring in COWs during events such as the Super Bowl as well as during disasters such as the wildfires that ravaged San Diego last year. During disasters and national events, many more people make calls than usual, which often flood the networks. For instance, during the Southern California earthquake last month, call volume was 40% higher than what Verizon Wireless had predicted for a crisis, making it difficult for many people to make a call.

Sprint Nextel spent $2 million to upgrade its St. Paul network for the Republican National Convention, according to spokeswoman Kathleen Dunleavy. And Qwest Communications, the official wireline provider of the Democratic convention, has added 140 miles of copper wire and cable to its Denver network, according to the New York Times. Much of this equipment will remain in the Colorado city after the convention is over, which is good news for people there who want to check their e-mail on seven different devices simultaneously.

However, the COWs will go home. They live in storage facilities around the country.

-- Alana Semuels

Photo: A construction worker makes final preparations for the Democratic National Convention at the Pepsi Center in Denver. Credit: John Moore / Getty Images

* A previous version of this post incorrectly said Qwest Communications was the official wireless provider of the Democratic convention. Qwest is the convention's official wireline provider.

Comments

[George Stanley Liebowitz]

I'm waiting to see the day that PIGS (Pens in good shirts) are put to use by informed and educated reporters .... would that not be a technical milestone!

[Bill]

Wireless providers have been doing this in Vegas for years, I saw a temporary station in a hotel parking lot right across Paradise several years ago. That still does not get the signals INSIDE the convention hall, so there is a clever system which uses outdoor panel antennas to relay the signal into what amounts to a soaker hose. Therefore, whats outside is conveyed inside, where it might not reach otherwise.

[wireless communications]

After reading the post on "Holy COW: Wireless providers prepare for the conventions*" i feel that it's a good news for customer and also for a new company.