OREANDA-NEWS. There was more than one winner at Churchill Downs this weekend after 34 horses crossed the finish line at the Kentucky Oaks and Derby this past weekend. The collective 290,000 Kentucky Derby and Kentucky Oaks attendees were able to easily share their most exciting Derby weekend moments on their mobile devices, thanks to a unique wireless network configuration called a Distributed Antenna System (DAS) installed throughout the facility by Mobilitie.

The neutral-host DAS, installed by Mobilitie, increased 4G LTE coverage on AT&T’s network compared to last year, making it easier for customers to upload photos, share experiences via social media, and chat real-time with friends.

Results showed total data volume at the Kentucky Oaks and Kentucky Derby races on AT&T’s in-venue wireless network and Cell on Wheels (COW) at Churchill Downs at more than 5 Terabytes. That’s equivalent to more than 15.3 million social media posts with photos. Data usage peaked from 5pm-6pm EST in the hour leading up to the post time of the Kentucky Derby, when AT&T customers used more than 474 Gigabytes on the DAS network, more than doubling the peak hour total from 2014. This marks the most data used on an AT&T in-venue mobile network during a given event.  

“We’re committed to robust investments in our networks all across the Commonwealth, and our network enhancement at Churchill Downs is just one way that we’re investing in the Louisville area.” said Hood Harris, AT&T Kentucky President. “When our customers attend Churchill Downs to take in the sights and sounds of the races, and socialize, we want them to enjoy our robust network that delivers high-speed connectivity – whether they are making calls, checking email, downloading apps or surfing the Internet.”

 “Mobile connectivity is a critical component of any large-scale event today,” said Christos Karmis, president of Mobilitie. “Churchill Downs hosts the highest-attended sporting event of the year with hundreds of thousands of visitors. Mobilitie’s robust networks provide the needed wireless coverage and capacity to allow fans to share their special moments with family and friends in real-time.”

The DAS system installed by Mobilitie for the 141st running of the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs is one of the largest in the country. With more than 271 antennas and over one million feet of fiber optic cable discretely installed throughout the venue, the event can handle the tens of thousands of racing fans who attend the running of Kentucky Oaks and the Kentucky Derby. Mobilitie’s neutral host DAS also supports many other events that take place at the venue throughout the year.