Cell Companies Prepare For Pope’s Crowds

How exactly do cell companies prepare for the load of millions of people all using their phones at the same time? That’s the quandary currently being worked out in Philadelphia, which is preparing for a September visit by Pope Francis. Upwards of two million people are expected to jam the Benjamin Franklin Parkway as the pontiff holds both a mass and a Festival of Families. It’s logical to expect that these people will be snapping pictures like crazy and attempting to upload them to social media – will networks be ready to handle the overload?

The pope is swarmed by cell phones during a Vatican audience two days ago. Photo credit: CBS.

According to some major service providers, the answer is a tentative “yes.” CBS’s Philly affiliate interviewed representatives from a handful of cellular companies, and the unanimous response was that they are aware of the potential for service issues and are making plans to try and work around it. The piece on CBS’s website compared the volume of the pope’s visit to the equivalent of “25 Super Bowls.” That comparison really gives some perspective on just how many people we’re talking about here.

Verizon Wireless says that it is planning to try and install temporary equipment around town so that there are more cell towers available when needed. They are negotiating with landlords to place additional antennae and cell sites on rooftops, as well as planning to build additional structures where they can find space to do so. In areas of heaviest traffic, they will roll out Cells on Wheels (COWs) and Cells on Light Trucks (COLTs).

AT&T said that they will also be rolling out COWs, as well as “leveraging existing… WiFi hotspots.” With cell companies going proactive, hopefully you’ll be able to Instagram your pics of the pope in no time flat.