AT&T Boosts Wi-Fi and Mobile Coverage at UC Berkeley

It appears a new day has dawned for Berkeley students and faculty who once complained of having to lean out their windows and hold their phones like the statue of liberty to get cell service.  The University has teamed with AT&T to dramatically improve Wi-Fi and mobile coverage across campus, including student residence halls, academic, athletic and administrative facilities.

“Learning doesn’t happen in one place, it happens everywhere,” said Michael Green, UC Berkeley’s Director of Telecommunications. “As a result of the expanded coverage, students will now have information at their fingertips across campus, enabling them to share ideas and resources with one another immediately.”

To provide additional mobile capacity on campus, AT&T has installed a new Distributed Antenna System (DAS) as part of its three-year Velocity IP initiative. DAS uses antennas that are tuned to precisely match the area of a building where boosted service is needed. This technology improves call reliability, increases data traffic capacity and enables more consistent network access on campus. The DAS system will give students and faculty mobile connections when using their smartphones and tablets at Griffiths Hall and Etcheverry Hall. 

AT&T has also enhanced the customer experience at Memorial Stadium by deploying COWs (Cellular on Wheels). These mobile cell sites include a cellular tower and electronic radio receivers to help boost network capacity and performance. Football fans will enjoy better wireless coverage throughout the stadium on game days.

“Students no longer have to run to the rooftop to make a call,” said Skyler Rojas, UC Berkeley’s Co-Chair of the Student Technology Council. “Thanks to the network investment in our campus, we are now able to connect no matter what we are doing – whether that is cheering on the Cal Bears at Memorial Stadium or studying for finals at Griffiths Hall.”

The expanded Wi-Fi service will benefit the entire UC Berkeley community including visitors.  But despite the magnitude of this investment, Berkeley isn't AT&T's first partner its efforts to strengthen wireless connectivity on college campuses.  The company has also installed network equipment at other colleges across the country, including this weekend's much-maligned football foe: the University of Southern California.  (Just don't tell Bear fans that the Trojans got there first.)