When inside a large group of people (at a stadium, concert, festival), why does your phones internet data stop working despite having full bars? Why does such a large presence of phones in one area limit every phones’ usability and ability to even simply send a text message?

Question

When inside a large group of people (at a stadium, concert, festival), why does your phones internet data stop working despite having full bars? Why does such a large presence of phones in one area limit every phones’ usability and ability to even simply send a text message?

In: Technology

Answer 1

There is a finite uplink speed from the cell tower that feeds the stadium. Whether it is 2 gbps or 20 gbps, the carrier’s business decision is going to be to provide the best service at the most likely volume of traffic demand. If a huge game exceeds that demand, there’s no quick solution that will relieve the issue. The uplink speed is what it is.