Tulsa Business & Legal News 05/16/2014

May 19, 2014 2:53 pm /

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BOK Center receives new wireless Internet upgrade
Have you ever taken a selfie at a
BOK Center event, tried to upload it
to social media and then waited longer
than you wanted for it to upload? Well
selfie-lovers, that is now in the past
with completion of the AT&Ts newest
distributed antenna system, or DAS,
for the BOK Center.
DAS has the ability to improve mo-
bile Internet connection throughout
the event center. In the BOK Center,
there are over a hundred antennas stra-
tegically placed so a concert goer can
receive the best coverage anywhere in
the building. This provides a better
wireless capacity in heavily trafficked
areas. Despite thousands of people and
geographical limitations like environ-
ment and building construction, BOK
customers will be able to access and use
their mobile Internet faster.
Last week, Mayor Dewey Bartlett
along with city and BOK Center offi-
cials toured the new enhancements at
the BOK Center with AT&T represen-
tatives Michael Cooper, AT&T exter-
nal affairs manager; Richard Dreese,
AT&T manager of DAS engineering;
and Bruce Elliot, AT&T DAS engi-
neer.
Cooper said this upgrade wouldnt
have been possible without the mayor
seeing the need of LTE and faster wire-
less capacity locally.
The experience that were going
to have inside this building is one of
equality to any other high tech ex-
perience in the country in one of the
best environments that youll have, the
BOK Center, said Bartlett.
Bartlett sees this update to be a tool
to help bring events to the BOK Cen-
ter. According to AT&T officials, DAS
is also available at the Chesapeake En-
ergy Arena in Oklahoma City.
The tour took officials from the
outside shelter that produces radio
frequency, which filters all the way
through the DAS, to the inside of the
event center.
Antennas can be found scattered
throughout the lobby as well as hanging
from the ceiling of the center. AT&T
officials said the arena has been sec-
tioned into pie shape slices where a
certain number of antennas are placed.
Therefore, every area can receive the
best reception throughout the center
without losing connection or speed.
What were trying to do is bring a
capacity solution. We provide ample
capacity for a section or a pie all the
way around the facility. We want to
control the pattern as much as we can
to maximize the coverage and efficien-
cy within each of these areas within the
JESSICA TURNER
jessicat@tulsabusiness.com
Job Number: 405140
Customer: COMMERCE BANK/BERNSTEIN REIN A
Phone: ${customer.phone}
The experience that were going to have
inside this building is one of equality to any
other high tech experience in the country
in one of the best environments that youll
have, the BOK Center.
DEWEY BARTLETT
Tulsa Mayor
See BOK Center, 18