Company: AT&T Inc., Dallas, TX
Company Description: AT&T is a leading provider of wireless, Wi-Fi, high speed Internet, voice and cloud-based services. A leader in mobile Internet with the nation’s most reliable 4G LTE network, AT&T also offers the best wireless coverage worldwide of any U.S. carrier. The company’s suite of IP-based business communications services is one of the most advanced in the world.
Nomination Category: New Product & Service Categories
Nomination Sub Category: Telecommunications - Product

Nomination Title: AT&T EchoBOT

Tell the story about this nominated product or service (up to 650 words). Describe its function, features, benefits, and performance to date.

If it thinks like an AT&T customer and it acts like one, it may be an AT&T customer, or it might just be an AT&T EchoBOT…

Smartphones have become an essential part of the gameday experience for fans. Through the use of mobile devices, fans are able to connect to the game from tailgate to the final touchdown through texts, videos, tweets and calls.

However, while sports venues offer a one-of-a-kind experience for fans, they can create challenges in wireless connectivity. To keep pace with the growing data demand in these venues as fans share their experiences with friends and family, AT&T deploys Distributed Antenna Systems (DAS). The technology is made up of tens to hundreds of small antennas that alleviate the pressure on our macro network (cell towers) to provide coverage for tens of thousands of smartphone users packed in massive concrete stadiums that can block cellular signals.

While DAS handles the network traffic, we wanted to find a solution that could give AT&T engineers new insights into the user experience on our AT&T Distributed Antenna Systems (DAS). So, In 2014 AT&T began to deploy the EchoBOT solution that “un-complicated” the process, while gaining better insights into the true customer experience on AT&T’s Distributed Antenna Systems (DAS) at large venues.

The EchoBOT technology developed by AT&T and is made up of two key pieces – the Echo software and BOT device – the BOTs are deployed throughout a given venue and measure the pulse of the network in specific portions of the facility, known as sectors. Together, they give AT&T a picture of the true customer experience, which is used by AT&T’s network engineering team to make real-time network adjustments where needed to deliver the best possible mobile experience.

Through the technology AT&T is able to get a true understanding of the customer’s experience at any given venue it’s deployed. But, instead of physically running around from one point of the stadium to the other with a mobile device, the EchoBOT is able to show network engineers what the customer would experience real-time, whether it’s making a voice call, sending a text, posting to a social media site or using an application. With the data from EchoBOT, AT&T’s network engineering team are able to make real-time network adjustments where needed to deliver the best possible mobile experience. This critical function enables AT&T to then resolve issues in problem areas of the network to ensure customers have a seamless network experience.

The EchoBOT has already played a big role in boosting the customer experience at the large events, and in 2015 AT&T plans to deploy the solution at dozens of more venues.

One of the first EchoBOT deployments proved to make one of the biggest impacts on AT&T’s network experience. The EchoBOT was put to the test at the New Orleans football stadium, which was hosting the country’s biggest event that year – professional football’s “Big Game.” With an average of 78,000 attendees per game over the last 47 Big Games, the AT&T network had to perform well with such a dense population of high network usage.

The day leading up to the “Big Game, AT&T network engineers were doing a standard pre-game testing of the network to ensure everything was ready for the game the next day. During this process, one of the EchoBOTs found that phone calls from inside the stadium were suffering with interference, because mobile devices in the stadium were actually connecting to the macro network outside the venue. Thanks to the EchoBOT, AT&T was able to tweak and optimize the DAS and macro network in advance of the game. Without the EchoBOT finding the interference, customers would have had a poor network experience on the biggest stage of the year. Instead, the new DAS performed great, with more data (119 GB) consumed than at the 2013 Big Game.

In bullet-list form, briefly summarize up to ten (10) of the chief features and benefits of the nominated product or service.

• The patented and professionally manufactured-version of the EchoBOT is now mounted and on-air in approximately 10 high-traffic venues, including more than a half dozen sports venues.

• Many venues where AT&T DAS are deployed are outdoors, such as football stadiums and baseball parks. In these environments, the equipment will need to endure numerous natural elements such as wind, rain, sleet, snow and hail. With this in mind, AT&T put the EchoBOT through the arduous process to become GR-certified.

• Prior to the creation of this proprietary technology, this was a new area of interest in the industry and existing technologies that performed similar tasks were costly, physically space-consuming and unrealistic for the practical purposes needed by AT&T.

• Currently, there are not any other carriers or companies licensing or purchasing EchoBOTs for their own use. However, with the success of EchoBOT for AT&T, the standard for the network experience will continue to climb.