Brace yourselves -- Super Bowl 50 is coming
This year's Super Bowl, which will take place at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, California, has taken over its neighboring big city, San Francisco, as well. As the game approaches this Sunday, February 7, tons of people are flowing into the city. To keep up with the influx, US carriers like Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile and Sprint are adding more cell towers to increase their network capacity.
Lining up on the Embarcadero
Carriers receive location approval from the city (in this case, San Francisco). Here, temporary cell sites are lined up along the Embarcadero, inside Super Bowl City.
Checking up on maintenance
Permanent fixtures are also scattered across the city, like in San Francisco's Financial District. Here, a cell site is installed to blend in with a street lamp.
Ready to work
Verizon estimates there will be tens of thousands or more people coming into San Francisco over the weekend. The carrier currently has more than 150 cell sites around the city.
Blending in with the scenery
This oblong fixture in the center of the photograph is Verizon cell-boosting equipment which has been disguised to look like the building to which it is attached. Though it resembles cement, it's actually made out of foam.
A bit more obvious
Attached to the same building are other providers' cell site equipment, which is not so well disguised.
Network coverage in unlikely places
Some of these San Francisco kiosks, which are often used as newsstands and public restrooms, have cell sites hidden inside their top half. Click here for more about the tech behind Super Bowl 50.