The largest graduating class in the state of Texas, 1,700 students, plus approximately 18,000 attendees came together at Eagle Stadium for Allen High School’s graduation ceremony. Keeping everyone safe in such a large gathering requires reliable communication, a critical factor for both first responders and the public.Play
If you follow high school football, you’re likely familiar with Allen High School, which has won multiple state championships and produced notable alumni, including NFL quarterback Kyler Murray. However, the school’s excellence extends well beyond athletics, offering extensive opportunities to students across various fields.
But it was during football games, I initially noticed significant cellular capacity issues. Last season, a speed test during a game revealed speeds as low as 0.5 Mbps.
On May 6, 2023, during the Allen mall shooting, the importance of robust cell coverage became undeniably clear. Both first responders and the public needed reliable voice and data capacities. First responders needed cell capacity to manage the incident effectively and the public to communicate with loved ones and ensure their own safety. I detailed this experience further in this post:
Recognizing these challenges, I began working on improving cellular capacity and coverage at Eagle Stadium. The area around the stadium typically lacks extensive cell coverage due to insufficient population density to justify commercial investment. Yet, about ten times a year, including football games and graduations, the stadium fills with around 20,000 attendees, highlighting the unique and periodic need for increased infrastructure.
Thanks to a strong relationship developed over time with T-Mobile For Business, particularly after the tragic event in Allen, we’ve explored solutions to these connectivity issues. T-Mobile‘s recent launch of T-Priority aims specifically at addressing first responders’ needs. For further details on T-Priority: https://www.t-mobile.com/business/t-priority
Here’s an article specifically discussing T-Priority’s implications for the fire service:
Essentially, T-Priority ensures dedicated, high-capacity connectivity for first responders, allowing critical data transfer during emergencies without interruption.
I was looking forward to seeing the impact of T-Priority at this year’s graduation. From previous speeds of about 0.5 Mbps, I was surprised when I consistently experienced speeds as high as 100 Mbps. I know “game changer” is thrown around a lot in LinkedIn articles, but in this case, it truly is. This was the first graduation where we did not have any issues with moving data around among the first responders. This high-speed data allowed us to update each other on evolving challenges and maintain situational awareness as the event swelled with people.Play
Our enhanced situational awareness was achieved using TAK, as shown in this screenshot of responder positions:
However, we learned we need to expand T-Priority access further since volunteer responders without it still encountered capacity issues.
While we’ve made strides in improving data capacity for first responders, we are still addressing the broader public’s connectivity needs. Reliable public communication is essential, particularly in situations like weather-related evacuations. Recognizing this, and thanks to assistance from David M. Bezzant and the T-Mobile team, a new cell tower is planned for the north side of the stadium, with construction expected to start near the end of 2025.
This collaboration is exactly how public agencies and private businesses should work together, addressing mutual needs to benefit the entire community. For me, it’s especially meaningful because one of those 1,700 graduating students was my son.
