Vodafone reports explosive mobile demand following All Blacks victory parade
- 09 November, 2015 06:17
Demand for texting, calling, video and photo sharing exploded in central Auckland and Christchurch late last week, as thousands of rugby fans poured into street to honour the 2015 Rugby World Cup champions.
Between 11am and 2pm, Vodafone reported an 180 per cent increase in mobile data traffic through cell sites close to Auckland’s Victoria Park - nearly three times the amount used in the area on a normal day.
In addition, the telco reports that TXT messaging rose by 152 percent during the same three-hour period, while voice calling jumped by 50 percent with similar spikes also seen in Christchurch.
“It’s another example of how important it is for our customers to stay connected during the moments that matter to them,” says Tony Baird, Technology Director, Vodafone.
“It’s our job to help make sure they’ve got access to a high speed, reliable network.”
According to Baird, Vodafone planned ahead and boosted cell site capacity and brought in a special COWS for the two events - a COW is a Cell site on Wheels, used to temporarily boost network capacity in order to support a large crowd.
This spring and summer, Baird says Vodafone will roll out COWS to at least 24 events around the country - anything from AC/DC to Northland Field Days.
“Our customers want to share their experiences on social media and stay in touch with their friends and family,” he adds.
“Our COWS make sure they get a great mobile experience, no matter where they are or what they’re doing.”
