Spindler said he could not estimate the convention traffic because TE designs its DASes from network specifications provided by its clients. In 2008, when ADC supplied the DASes for the last big conventions, an executive there estimated a convention could generate the call volume at an average hockey game. (ADC was later acquired by Tyco Electronics and became part of TE Connectivity.) Given the growth in mobile data use, this year's events are likely to generate even heavier demand.

The DAS that ADC set up at the Pepsi Center for the 2008 Democratic convention had 24 sectors, Spindler said. After the convention, it was changed to six larger sectors for Denver Nuggets basketball games, then increased to nine sectors when the Nuggets made it into the National Basketball Association playoffs and drew increased media coverage, he said.

"These things are effectively living entities that change with the capacity requirements," Spindler said.

TE is installing DASes at the Tampa Bay Times Forum for the Republican convention and at the Time Warner Cable Arena, Bank of America stadium and Charlotte Motor Speedway for the Democratic convention and affiliated events. The Republican gathering will run from Aug. 27-30 and the Democratic event will take place from Sept. 4-7. (The event at the Charlotte Motor Speedway was cancelled late last month.)

But as far off as those events may seem, TE had to start months ahead to set up the antennas. The installations need to be finished soon because the venues are about to be closed off for security reasons, a standard part of preparations for the conventions. Spindler estimated the setup in each case took between eight and 12 weeks.