CityCenter unveils technology aimed at avoiding dropped calls

By Amanda Finnegan

Monday, June 7, 2010 | 5:39 p.m.

The 67-acre CityCenter resort complex now has more than 13.5 million square feet of wireless technology in an effort to avoid dropped cell phone calls, Texas-based InnerWireless announced today.

The deployment ensures wireless connectivity in areas like hotel hallways, guest rooms, lobbies and showrooms. InnerWireless has been working on deploying the system at CityCenter since 2007.

InnerWirless Chairman, President and CEO Ed Cantwell said the system means guests won’t experience dropped calls while inside CityCenter’s buildings. The resort complex was plagued with guest complaints of dropped calls and poor cell phone reception during the first few months of its opening.

“Guests should be able to use their wireless devices to call, text and e-mail their families, business associates and fellow travelers from the comfort of their hotel rooms,” Cantwell said in a statement. “Virtually everyone has a cell phone, smartphone or BlackBerry today, and we believe it’s unacceptable for guests of a luxury resort to be forced to leave their room and go to the lobby just to get a wireless signal.”

With the addition of the technology, CityCenter is now home to North America's largest distributed antenna system, which is a method of distributing wireless connections inside a large building where steel and concrete can interfere with wireless signals. The system distributes a wireless connection from a single base station to multiple antennas throughout the building.

In addition to the wireless sytem being an amenity for guests, InnerWireless said the technology will help cut costs for CityCenter. Rather than buying two-way radios, employees can use their smartphones’ push-to-talk function to communicate on the InnerWireless system.

InnerWireless Chief Operating Officer Darla Braun said the technology complemented CityCenter’s LEED certifications since much of the system's components require no power. The distributed antenna system has 22 power locations across CityCenter, unlike the thousands needed for some comparable systems, InnerWireless said.

This is the company's second such system with MGM Mirage. In 2008, InnerWireless deployed its system at the Beau Rivage Resort & Casino in Biloxi, Miss., providing 3.2 million square feet of in-building wireless coverage for the 32-story resort.