Super Bowl Fans To Stay Connected At Big Game

More advanced technology will be packed into mobile phones for Sunday's Super Bowl in Tampa, Fla., both for the 65,000 spectators at Raymond James Stadium and for the millions watching on television.

Anticipating that fans at the stadium will want to chat on their cell phones, network infrastructure provider ADC has rolled out its InterReach Fusion System at the Tampa stadium. Capable of handling as many as 10,000 to 15,000 simultaneous calls, ADC reports it has deployed 19 main hubs, 23 expansion hubs, and 109 remote antenna units. Wireless signals are distributed and reproduced at full power through each antenna location, ADC said.

Cell phone service provider Sprint is also making a special Super Bowl effort, creating a centralized Web page that has been formatted to appeal to football fans. The site is full of the season's statistics for both the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Arizona Cardinals. Sprint also invested heavily in the Tampa area for the game and added temporary cells on wheels that are strategically placed at high-traffic locations.

Sprint's NFL Mobile Live reached 1 million downloads faster than any other application in company history, the company noted.

Mobile marketers, too, are more successful this year in utilizing mobile handsets to spread their messages, and many advertisers are linking mobile applications to traditional television advertising.

"The convergence of mobile and entertainment is increasingly becoming a reality," said Mike Wehrs, president and CEO of the Mobile Marketing Association, in a statement, adding that the concept of combining TV programming with a mobile element will be in evidence in several instances during the football game.

In one unique approach, Apple's iTunes Music Store will offer original music that will be aired by Pepsi's SoBe Lifewater feature.