AT&T Tech Tips For The Pope's Visit To DMV Area

Are you planning on catching a glimpse of the Popemobile at the Papal Parade? Do you have a friend planning to see mass at the Basilica?

With the Pope’s visit to DC starting tomorrow, we can expect restaurants, roadways, hotels and cell service in the District to get crowded! Many people will want to share their view of the Pope from their phone in real-time, so AT&T has been working to optimize the network. AT&T has built three Cell On Wheels (COWs) to relieve network congestion at key gathering places and help people get the best possible wireless experience they can!

AT&T has worked tirelessly to boost capacity, but large data-hungry crowds could still cause some network congestion. Here are some tips from AT&T to help you and your readers have the best experience possible.

AT&T Tech Tips For The Pope’s Visit To DC:

Text, Don’t Call: Send text messages whenever possible. Texts use less bandwidth than calls and are more likely to get through if the network is congested.

Save, Then Send: Be sure to take plenty of Pope photos and videos, but save them and wait to upload to social media until you are out of the crowd.

Use Wifi: AT&T customers have free access to AT&T WiFi hot spots all over DC. Customers who want to share pictures and videos with friends can use these hot spots to avoid network congestion.

Charge Up: AT&T recommends bringing a portable charger or extra battery to ensure that your phone keeps its charge during the all day festivities.