AT&T has tapped wireless network provider Airspan Networks to deploy a new AT&T-led distributed antenna system (DAS) at a college football stadium in Mississippi.

The DAS deployment at Mississippi State University’s Davis Wade Stadium in Starkville is powered by Airspan’s MobileAccess 6000 Digital platform.

The DAS, which is led and owned by AT&T as a neutral-host network, is designed to provide high-capacity, multi-operator cellular connectivity across the 60,000-plus seat stadium.

Supporters, students, teams, staff, media, and visitors to the stadium will use the DAS to stay connected during football games and major events held at the venue.

A DAS is a network of spatially separated antennas that are connected to a common signal source.

The system is able to distribute wireless and cellular coverage evenly throughout large structures or areas, such as sporting venues, instead of relying on a single rooftop antenna or cell tower.

According to Airspan, these antennas have been "strategically" placed across the stadium, noting that the enhanced coverage and capacity help improve connectivity during periods of heavy wireless traffic, including sold-out SEC football games and major live entertainment events.

“When you have tens of thousands of people in one place, you need infrastructure that can keep up,” said Michael Walker, VP, external & legislative affairs, AT&T Mississippi. “Strengthening connectivity at Davis Wade Stadium helps improve the fan experience, supports stadium operations and helps ensure people can stay connected when it matters most.”

Airspan notes that its DAS includes 53-sector, MIMO architecture designed to support connectivity when it's a full house. The company's MobileAccess 6000 Digital platform is able to support all mid-band spectrum, including C-Band, 3.45 GHz and 2.5 GHz, and compact headend architecture.

“High-density venues like Davis Wade Stadium present some of the most demanding wireless design challenges, requiring exceptional network capacity with limited communications infrastructure footprint,” said Amit Jain, senior vice president and general manager of in-building networks at Airspan. “AT&T’s leadership was instrumental in delivering a future-ready neutral-host network, and we are proud that our MobileAccess 6000 platform helped meet the venue’s performance and aggressive deployment requirements.”

AT&T has invested heavily in bolstering its network infrastructure across Mississippi, funneling nearly $1.4 billion into its wireless and wireline networks between 2021 and 2025.