Football games at the University of Michigan can attract upwards of 100,000 fans on any given Saturday.  To combat a jammed wireless network, Verizon Wireless has activated what they call “COLTs,” or Cell-On-Light-Trucks, that can effectively double the capacity of the network in and around Michigan Stadium to provide uninterrupted wireless service.

A COLT is a fully functional mobile cell site that provides enhanced wireless capacity to an area with a large number of devices being used simultaneously, and can support all of Verizon’s enhanced features, such as Mobile Broadband.   According to a Verizon press release, COLTs enable more Verizon customers to use their wireless phones concurrently to make voice calls, send email and texts, pictures and video messages, access the internet, view high-quality videos, and download music, games and ringtones while enjoying fewer dropped calls and clearer reception.  Verizon has deployed COLTs for three consecutive years now in Ann Arbor for Football Saturdays, as well as in other high-usage situations.

Verizon continues to impress me in their commitment to provide the best mobile experience among the “big guys” in the mobile landscape.  Verizon’s 3G network is by far the most comprehensive in the U.S, especially in smaller rural areas, and by deploying technology such as COLTs reiterates the commitment further.  “Whether our customers are inside “The Big House” cheering on either team or just enjoying an afternoon of tailgating, we are committed to delivering the same reliable service they have come to expect from Verizon Wireless wherever they use our network,” said Greg Haller, president of the Michigan/Indiana/Kentucky Region for Verizon Wireless.

Verizon has spent a fortune on it’s continual rollout of coverage enhancements and features nationwide, outpacing nearly all other carriers.  The company has invested more than $45 billion since it was formed, which represents an average of $5.5 billion every year.  As far as I know, no other carrier has gone as far as to park techno-equipped vehicles that act as a mobile cell towers to simply enhance coverage for a relatively small number of people.  Now, if they would only switch to GSM.

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Entry was posted on Tuesday, September 23rd, 2008 at 4:04 pm under Cell phones.

Read more entries by Justin Montgomery.
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