The New Orleans French Quarter experiences very high wireless traffic each day, with very large spikes in traffic surrounding major events such as Mardi Gras, Jazz Fest, Sugar Bowl, the BCS National Championship football game, and various other activities throughout the year. The Vieux Carré Commission (VCC), the historical preservation society for the French Quarter, set very stringent visual limitations on wireless build-out in the area, which prevents wireless service providers from adding cell sites to improve coverage and capacity. Most service providers utilize towers that reside outside the French Quarter, then try to "angle-in" coverage for the area, but this was often ineffective and did not provide the capacity needed to support the dramatic increases in traffic during peak tourism.

NewPath Networks worked with the VCC to design a custom wireless network solution that could provide capacity and coverage for multiple service providers on a single, shared system, with minimal visual impact on the historical area. After a very rigorous process, the VCC approved a plan that would locate the majority of network equipment outside the French Quarter and disguise the equipment and antennas that would exist within the area to work with the aesthetics of the neighborhood.

The approved design locates service provider equipment and NewPath Networks’ distributed antenna network hub Tremé, just outside the French Quarter. Custom light poles that replicate the look of existing street lamps were designed to house the antennas and repeater equipment in 14 locations throughout the French Quarter. The remote locations were then connected to the hub with over four miles of fiber optic cabling.

Wireless users experience a dramatic improvement in quality and capacity, while equipment and antennas are disguised to work with the aesthetics of the neighborhood.

The new Distributed Antenna System network allows multiple service providers to target and scale capacity inside the French Quarter through NewPath’s fiber-fed network as needed. The result is a dramatic improvement in quality and capacity for wireless users in the area, while maintaining the historical appearance that is unique to the New Orleans French Quarter.

Contact NewPath for more information on customized coverage
and capacity solutions in your area.

206.919.0222 | info@newpathnetworks.net | www.newpathnetworks.net