Planning To See The Pope In Philly? Companies Seeking To Ease Cell Service Worries

Those planning to brave the crowds to go see Pope Francis give Mass on the Ben Franklin Parkway at least won’t have to worry about spotty cell phone service, according to reports.

AT&T and Verizon have together invested $45 million to bolster cell phone service and add infrastructure along the parkway, a report from CBS3 states.

Among the new equipment the companies will rely on during the pope’s visit to Philadelphia will be temporary cell towers. In addition, the companies are adding permanent cell phone capacity in Philadelphia via a Distributed Antenna System, which will remain in place at the Ben Franklin Parkway even after Francis returns to Rome.

Pope Francis is scheduled to give Mass at the Benjamin Franklin Parkway on Saturday, Sept. 26, and again on Sunday, Sept. 27.

Here the pope’s full itinerary for the World Meeting of Families in Philadelphia:

Saturday, Sept. 26

• 8:40 a.m. Departure from John F. Kennedy International Airport
• 9:30 a.m. Arrival at Atlantic Aviation, Philadelphia
• 10:30 a.m. Mass at Cathedral Basilica of Sts. Peter and Paul, Philadelphia
• 4:45 p.m. Visit to Independence Mall
• 7:30 p.m. Visit to the Festival of Families Benjamin Franklin Parkway

Sunday, Sept. 27

• 9:15 a.m. Meeting with bishops at at St. Martin’s Chapel, St. Charles Borromeo Seminary
• 11:00 a.m. Visit to Curran-Fromhold Correctional Facility
• 4:00 p.m. Mass for the conclusion of the World Meeting of Families, Benjamin Franklin Parkway
• 7:00 p.m. Visit with organizers, volunteers and benefactors of the World Meeting of Families, Atlantic Aviation
• 8:00 p.m. Departure for Rome