Sprint (NYSE: S) customers pushed a massive amount of data across the LTE Plus network at this year’s big game in Houston, consuming nearly 5 TB of data inside and directly around the stadium on February 5. Total data tonnage increased more than 3 times compared to last year’s big event at Levi’s Stadium, and about 8 times since the Feb. 1, 2015 game at University of Phoenix Stadium.

Customers experienced strong speeds from Sprint’s 2.5 GHz small cells deployed inside the stadium, hitting download speeds of 124 Mbps outside the Verizon suite in the fourth quarter, 85 Mbps from the stands in overtime, and 99 Mbps from the stands during the trophy ceremony.

Two- and three-channel carrier aggregation deployed on small cells, Cells on Wheels (COWs) and other cell sites played an important role increasing capacity inside the stadium and surrounding areas. This LTE-Advanced technology bonds together bands of spectrum to create a wider lane, allowing more data traffic to travel at higher rates on capable devices.

Just in time for the big game, Sprint also increased its number of iconic devices enabled for three-channel carrier aggregation to seven, including the Samsung Galaxy S7, Samsung Galaxy S7 edge, LG V5, LG V20 and HTC Bolt. Customers using these devices received automatic software updates to enable the technology.

“Our investment in our Houston LTE Plus network using some of the most advanced technologies in wireless gave our fans a great experience this weekend. But even more importantly is the lasting impact with permanent capacity added that will give customers even faster data speeds all year long,” said Mike Hennigan, network regional vice president at Sprint.

Carrier aggregation, a key element of Sprint’s LTE Plus network, increases the speed and capacity of Sprint’s 2.5 GHz spectrum. Two-channel carrier aggregation initially launched with the debut of Sprint’s LTE Plus network in November 2015, and today it’s deployed in more than 250 markets. Following lab tests of three-channel carrier aggregation in August 2016, Sprint began rolling out three-channel carrier aggregation and today it’s available in more than 100 markets, including Houston.

More info about how Sprint prepared its Houston network for the big game using carrier aggregation, small cells, and COWs is available in the Sprint newsroom.

About Sprint:

Sprint (NYSE: S) is a communications services company that creates more and better ways to connect its customers to the things they care about most. Sprint served 59.5 million connections as of Dec. 31, 2016 and is widely recognized for developing, engineering and deploying innovative technologies, including the first wireless 4G service from a national carrier in the United States; leading no-contract brands including Virgin Mobile USA, Boost Mobile, and Assurance Wireless; instant national and international push-to-talk capabilities; and a global Tier 1 Internet backbone. Sprint has been named to the Dow Jones Sustainability Index (DJSI) North America for the past five years. You can learn more and visit Sprint at www.sprint.com or www.facebook.com/sprint and www.twitter.com/sprint.

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