Using Cellphones At Broncos Games No Longer A Problem

DENVER (CBS4) - Denver Broncos fans won't have to worry about missing any plays now. They can even grab nachos while keeping their eyes on the action.

It's one of the hard parts about attending a game -- trying to use a cellphone. But now things got a little bit easier at Sports Authority Field at Mile High.

"We want them to be able to view replays and look up other fantasy stats across the league, so we know that's what they want and so hopefully we'll keep driving," Eric Tussey with AT&T said.

AT&T installed 325 antennas throughout the stadium at a cost of $10 million to divide the stadium into 33 sections.

"About four months on site of actually installing about 45 miles of coax cable throughout the stadium," Tussey said.

Stadium officials say it's all about bringing a better fan experience.

"We want to engage them. The NFL says 'from driveway to driveway,' " said Russ Trainor, Broncos Vice President of Information Technology. "From a technical perspective it's all about the fans, right? And making that experience good and engaging them all the way through the event."

Along with adding data service, AT&T has helped with a major makeover on the club level. A few dozen small tube TVs are gone, replaced with nearly 1,100 big high-definition TVs that can also be controlled individually.

"We wanted fans to come in and say, 'Wow,' " Tussey said. "We have all the channels going. It's impressive and we want to make sure they're having a good experience."

AT&T says it's an infrastructure improvement that can adapt with new technology. The Broncos say it's about keeping the fans happy.