Verizon FiOS television service hasn't yet been offered to Downtown residents, but the company did secure one high-profile client in the area: the Consol Energy Center.

The telecommunications giant has launched a neighborhood-by-neighborhood assault on cable competitor Comcast since last year, but has hopes of snagging more local customers checking out the Pittsburgh Penguins' new, WiFi-enabled home.

The northeast entry of the hockey arena - aka the Verizon Gate - is the Verizon Studio, a place for visitors to check out demonstrations of FiOS Internet and television services. Eventgoers can sign up for services there, said company spokesman Lee Gierczynski.

The partnership expands beyond the northeast gate to include more than 800 high-definition monitors throughout the center and interactive touchscreens that show player video and a Stanley Cup image capable of spinning with the flick of a finger.

Meanwhile, officials expect so much mobile phone activity that coverage boosters are being installed. Verizon Wireless will install an indoor antenna system so servers don't get bogged down by too much smart phone activity in one place.

Though telecommunications companies will sometimes share a tower, only Verizon customers can expected boosted coverage from the center's antenna system.

Tech-savvy Penguins fans may be hogging bandwidth by using their mobile devices for applications like Carnegie Mellon spinoff Yinz Cam, which allows visitors to replay clips and access player information on their mobile devices. In addition, while the team already notifies students of rush-ticket alerts via text message, it will now solicit text messages back from fans.

A new Penguins Pulse service will broadcast real-time text messages and Twitter notes from fans across the country. A similar program is seen at PNC Park during Pirates games and was even used on the outside screen showing hockey playoff games at the Civic Arena. But the new service will have a giant map of the United States that displays the location of the sender.

Since a sloppy save from goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury might not keep the content PG-rated, a screening process will be used to filter questionable content before it hits the screen.

Looking for more from the Post-Gazette? Join PG+, our members-only web site. You'll get exclusive sports content, opinion, financial information, discounts from retailers and restaurants, and more. Our introduction to PG+ gives you all the details.