2016 REPUBLICAN NATIONAL CONVENTION NAMES AT&T OFFICIAL PROVIDER FOR COMMUNICATIONS, VIDEO AND TECHNOLOGY
Network Upgrades Underway to Serve Tens of Thousands of Convention Goers
CLEVELAND (Mar. 24, 2016) — AT&T* joins the Republican National Committee and the Committee on Arrangements to announce that AT&T will be the Official Provider for Communications, Video and Technology to the 2016 Republican National Convention. AT&T employees have already started work on permanent and temporary enhancements to wired and wireless connectivity in anticipation of the July event in Cleveland.
“I want to congratulate AT&T and the Committee on Arrangements on this partnership,” said Cleveland Mayor Frank G. Jackson. “What AT&T is providing will ensure that the 50,000 convention attendees have the technology that they, along with the media, depend on as they communicate our story and share their Cleveland Convention experiences with the rest of the world.”
“The Committee on Arrangements is proud to partner with AT&T, a company that has displayed such a strong commitment to Ohio and the city of Cleveland,” said Steve King, Chairman of the Committee on Arrangements. “The infrastructure developments that they are providing will not only contribute to making this year’s convention a success, but will also benefit the Northeastern Ohio community for years to come.”
“AT&T’s commitment to Ohio is illustrated every day in our nearly 20,000 employees and retirees who live in the state, millions of dollars in giving programs and more than 140,000 volunteer hours in our local communities,” said Adam Grzybicki, President, AT&T Ohio. “That commitment continues with the network investments we are making to ensure the Buckeye State shines in July when an anticipated 50,000 RNC convention attendees will descend on Cleveland with a multitude of wireless devices.”
“This is a great example of the long term infrastructure that is being put in place as Cleveland prepares to host the 2016 Republican National Convention,” said Cuyahoga County Executive Armond Budish. “While it will enhance the experience of our visiting delegates and media during the week of the convention, it also ensures that Clevelanders have access to great wireless coverage and the fastest available mobile technology long after the last balloon drops.”
Clevelanders and visitors are expected to use historic levels of data during the convention. AT&T plans to make these upgrades before the event:
- Tripling our 4G capacity in downtown Cleveland.
- 165 LTE upgrades to cell sites will be completed to provide a more reliable experience, as well as faster download and upload speeds.
- Adding 50,000 feet of new fiber to strengthen our network
- 8 Outdoor Distributed Antenna System projects are underway to improve street-level mobile coverage and capacity in downtown Cleveland.
Voice-Over-LTE launched in Cleveland, allowing for higher quality calls, video calling and enhanced messaging services.
“The investment by AT&T will have a lasting effect on the greater Cleveland community,” said Cleveland City Council President Kevin J. Kelley. “Even though the RNC is a one week event the telecom infrastructure put in place will be a legacy our region will benefit from for years to come.”
During the convention, AT&T plans to boost the network experience by deploying:
- 8 LTE-capable Indoor Distributed Antenna Solutions at key downtown venues (including Quicken Loans Arena) to improve mobile coverage and capacity.
- 4 temporary Cell on Wheels to improve coverage and capacity at key locations in downtown Cleveland.
- Deploying LTE-capable small cells to improve in-building coverage in key venues and select hotels.
- TV coverage within the Quicken Loans Arena will be provided by DIRECTV.
AT&T has an extensive history of investing in Cleveland and in Ohio. Since 2012, AT&T has invested more than $1.6 billion to upgrade Ohio’s wireless and wireline networks. Ohioans enjoyed more than 680 upgrades to the AT&T wireless network across the state in 2015.
For up-to-date information on how AT&T is preparing for the convention, please visit Cleveland2016.att.com.
*AT&T products and services are provided or offered by subsidiaries and affiliates of AT&T Inc. under the AT&T brand and not by AT&T Inc.
About the 2016 Republican National Convention
The 2016 Republican National Convention will be held at the Quicken Loans Arena from July 18-21, 2016. Nearly 50,000 visitors are expected to come to the Cleveland area for the event, including delegates, alternate delegates, members of the media and other guests. For more information about the 2016 Republican National Convention, please visit our website at www.convention.gop.
About AT&T
AT&T Inc. (NYSE:T) helps millions around the globe connect with leading entertainment, mobile, high speed Internet and voice services. We’re the world’s largest provider of pay TV. We have TV customers in the U.S. and 11 Latin American countries. We offer the best global coverage of any U.S. wireless provider*. And we help businesses worldwide serve their customers better with our mobility and highly secure cloud solutions.
Additional information about AT&T products and services is available at http://about.att.com. Follow our news on Twitter at @ATT, on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/att and YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/att.
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