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Super Interception Saps Cell Reception

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By RICHARD MULLINS | The Tampa Tribune

Published: February 1, 2009

A Pittsburgh interception and 100-yard touchdown run proved just too much for cell phone networks to bear.

AT&T, Sprint and Verizon and other carriers suffered "call blocking," delayed text messages and other glitches around Raymond James Stadium as each big play turned the tide of the game.

The strains began as kickoff neared and the Air Force fighters circled for their fly over.

Untold thousands of calls, texts and cell photos proved too much for even the recently upgraded networks of AT&T, Verizon and Sprint.

"All those red X's on my screen, that's stuff that didn't go through, said Dudrick Balsamica of Tampa, pointing at his Sprint phone.

"I tried three calls; nothing," said Stephanie Morgan of Orlando, also on Sprint.

It could have been worse.

Cellular carriers expected huge surges of traffic around the stadium during game day, as 200,000 or more people snapped cell phone photos, sent text messages or even shared live video if they could.

To prepare, Verizon, Sprint, AT&T, T-Mobile and others packed the stadium neighborhood with extra antennas and routing gear. A dozen mobile cell phone tower trucks ringed the stadium to take up extra traffic -- now a routine practice for events like the World Series, the Daytona 500 and lately, the inauguration of Barack Obama in Washington.

Still, if people do as they have in past big events, the biggest traffic day could be Monday.

Cellular carriers say human nature creates a "water cooler" effect. People tend to focus on the event at hand (football or an election) then once it passes, they rush to share with each other.

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