Can you hear me now? Verizon promises better gameday cell service at Williams-Brice

South Carolina fans with Verizon cell phones should notice a big difference in their ability to use the Internet, make calls and send text messages at and around Williams-Brice Stadium this season thanks to network improvements designed to accommodate large crowds at football games.

Beginning on Saturday against Kentucky, USC supporters are expected to be able to stream videos, listen to the radio and surf social media with faster data speeds and fewer interruptions or delays.

Verizon has upgraded the network capacity of Williams-Brice Stadium’s Distributed Antenna System and will also deploy a Cell on a Light Truck at all South Carolina home games.

In addition, cell towers in the downtown Columbia area near the stadium have been beefed up to produce 4G LTE speeds.

Karen Schulz, a spokesperson for Verizon, said the company made improving cell phone service at football games a high priority.

“We all know that Gamecock fans love their football and love their tailgating so certainly we have very high traffic before, during and after the game,” she said. “The popularity of social sharing and picture sharing has really taken off over the years, so there’s definitely a need to enhance our network coverage and speed throughout that area.”

Despite Williams-Brice being known for having poor cell phone service in and around the stadium, Schulz said the company had not received many complaints. Still, she added that Verizon understood improvements needed to take place.

“We know how much people want to be able to use their technology at games,” she said. “With that many people in a small geographic area we wanted to proactively do things to enhance the network to ensure a positive experience.”

This story was originally published September 11, 2015 at 3:10 PM.