Characterizing the workload dynamics of a mobile phone network during the FIFA 2014 World Cup

The high popularity of human communication based on mobile phone services exhibits different behaviors in different places and time. Large-scale events, such as the FIFA World Cup, create an auspicious atmosphere for the attendees to use such services to share their experiences with relatives and friends. This work characterizes the workload dynamics of a major mobile phone network on different days when major soccer matches took place in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. We analyze the usage behavior of three profiles of attendees of two major matches of the FIFA 2014 World Cup, including the final between Germany and Argentina on July 13, 2014. We compare these profiles with similar results computed on a dataset of calls and SMS collected on the day of the final match of 2013 Brazilian Cup, which happened at the same stadium of the World Cup final. We note that users of each analyzed profile, i.e. (i) attendees who made cellphone calls and sent SMS messages, (ii) attendees who only made calls, and (iii) attendees who only sent SMS, have different behaviors in different periods of the event.