Pope Benedict is scheduled to end his U.S. visit today with an outdoor Mass at Yankee Stadium. In order to meet the expected high demand for cellular service, Verizon Wireless is one of the carriers who will make extensive use of COWS - a.k.a - Cellular On Wheels. If you attend any large gathering these devices are common ways to boost the cellular capacity of nearby towers. You’ll frequently seen them in use at NASCAR events where an extra 100,000 fans gather for the big races - and simultaneously are calling their buddies back home to ask if the TV camera caught their shirtless sweating image in the stands.

Another view of Verizon Wireless COW (Cellular On Wheels)

From the Verizon Wireless site:

At the request of City officials, the company has placed a Cell on
Wheels (COW) near Yankee Stadium where the Pope will speak on Sunday. The
request was part of the multi-layered security efforts during the Pope’s
visit and, if needed, the COW will provide significant network capacity to
complement Verizon Wireless’ permanent cell sites nearby.

Verizon Wireless also has placed a COW on the grounds of St. Joseph’s
Seminary in Yonkers where more than 20,000 teens are expected to converge
for a Papal Youth Rally on Saturday.

“We expect a big surge in voice calls and anticipate a flood of text
and picture messages as throngs of young people use their wireless devices
to capture and share this special event,” Haberman said.

COWs are fully functional, generator-powered mobile cell sites that
enhance wireless capacity, allowing more customers to use their wireless
phones concurrently to make calls, send and receive text and picture
messages, access the Internet, and download games and ringtones. The
company placed the COW on the St. Joseph’s campus this week and it is up
and running and ready for tomorrow’s rally.

Verizon Wireless COLT : Cellular On Light Truck

Cellular COWS are also used during emergencies to haul cellular service to remote areas that either are lacking or may need additional capacity. Here’s a Verizon COW in service at a forest fire in California.

Link: Wikipedia entry on COWS
Link: Cows - If you came to this article thinking it was about female bovines