Any sports fan has dealt with this problem numerous times. You walk into the stadium of your favorite team with thousands of your closest friends for the day and you are excited to tweet, send pictures and read about things going on in the game that you might have missed from your seat.
Then the 4G network on your phone is instantly overloaded and is relegated to a fancy, expensive paperweight for the next three hours.
Teams and venues are hearing your cries and are beginning to do something about it such as the University of Arizona amongst others. They are making it a goal for fans to be able to have full access to their phones uninterrupted during the entire duration of the game they are attending. With so many consumers turning to smartphones, the traditional networks are out-of-date and can’t handle service capacity needed for fans in 2013 and beyond.
This movement is starting to take shape in the NFL.
SMG, a major player in venue management, announced the launch of a new neutral-host Distributed Antenna System (DAS) at Chicago’s Soldier Field, home of the Chicago Bears as well as concerts, international soccer games and hundreds of other events annually. The state-of-the-art DAS network will increase wireless capacity for all fans in the 63,000-seat stadium, enhancing their game day experience.
The upgraded Soldier Field network, which will be installed, managed and operated by Boingo and AT&T in partnership with SMG – will deliver enhanced wireless coverage to fans, and will help them stay connected via their mobile devices during the height of a game or concert.
A DAS installation consists of multiple strategically placed antennas that distribute wireless network coverage throughout Soldier Field, providing for more efficient management of wireless capacity in heavily trafficked areas. AT&T and Boingo’s sophisticated neutral DAS installation is configured to deliver ubiquitous coverage and consistent performance throughout the stadium complex and will allow multiple wireless carriers to maximize the game experience for their customers.
“With the addition of the neutral-host DAS network, we believe Soldier Field now offers one of the most advanced stadium networks in the nation, making it a benchmark for wireless services at stadiums across the country,” said Luca Serra, director of sponsorships and media for SMG at Soldier Field. “With the new DAS installation, SMG is ensuring that fans are able to share their favorite game moments with friends and family.”
The enhanced DAS network at Soldier Field is already available to fans. Boingo, SMG, and AT&T will continue to collaborate on upgrades to continue to maintain optimal network performance at Soldier Field. Additionally, Boingo operates the Wi-Fi network at the stadium, which was among the first in an NFL stadium when it was launched in 2010.
“Boingo brings more than a decade of experience in designing, building and managing combined DAS and Wi-Fi networks to Soldier Field. We’re proud to expand our relationship with SMG, and to help the SMG team realize their vision of providing a superior connectivity experience to each and every fan in the stands,” said Doug Lodder, vice president of DAS business development for Boingo Wireless. “Built in collaboration with SMG and AT&T, the new DAS network provides additional capacity that will enable SMG to provide new location-based services and connected experiences to fans, and ensure the best possible mobile game day for spectators.”
AT&T’s participation in the Soldier Field DAS network is part of the company’s Project Velocity IP (VIP). This is a three-year investment plan to expand and enhance its IP broadband networks of stadiums around the country including Solder Field. Through this investment, AT&T is supporting the sports fan’s desire for high-speed Internet access and new mobile, app and cloud-based services. As part of Project VIP, AT&T plans to add more than 1,000 DAS nationwide by year-end 2015, as well as more than 10,000 macro cell sites, and deploy more than 40,000 small cells, to increase the density of its wireless network.
“When our customers are at the stadium for a game or concert, we want them to have an effortless network experience whether they are making a call, checking email, downloading apps or surfing the Internet,” said Paul La Schiazza, AT&T Illinois President. “In a wireless world with an Internet economy, we’re continuing to invest in our wireless network. Enhancing our wireless coverage at Soldier Field is just one more way that we’re investing in Chicago.”
Boingo Wireless also has multi-year agreements to design and manage neutral host, multi-carrier DAS networks at high-traffic consumer venues nationwide, including stadiums like SMG’s Pinnacle Bank Arena and the University of Arizona’s Arizona Stadium, as well as airports including Chicago’s O’Hare and Midway, and New York’s John F. Kennedy, LaGuardia and Newark International.
In addition to being a leading DAS provider in the U.S., Boingo is the world’s leading provider of Wi-Fi in airports, with service in more than 65 airports worldwide. The company also operates Wi-Fi networks for seven of the top mall operators in the U.S., and manages networks for many other sporting arenas, convention centers, and quick service restaurants nationwide, as well as the New York subway system.
Enhanced WiFi is the wave of the future and you see constantly how teams are starting to realize that improved wireless access for their fans greatly enhances the fan experience. With the rising costs of tickets, it has been a challenge for teams to try and keep people away from the comfort of watching the games from their own home and allowing them uninterrupted access on their cell phones will be a great first step.
We’ll just have to see which team is next to sign up for this wireless upgrade.