Bad Wi-Fi at sporting events is a major pain point for fans. With so many people trying to connect to the network at once, it can be difficult to get a strong signal. Is this frustrating to check scores, update your social media or even stream the game on your phone? Absolutely!
To top it off, bad Wi-Fi also makes it difficult to order food or drinks through the stadium app. Fans have a higher chance to miss out on the opportunity to eat or drink altogether. Hungry people leads to dissatisfaction and a negative overall experience.
Enter Extreme Networks, a provider of cloud networking focused on delivering services that connect devices, applications and people in new ways. Extreme is on a mission to make sure those bad experiences never happen. They’ve already enhanced the fan experience in the MLB (News - Alert), NASCAR. Premier League with Manchester United and Liverpool, as well as the majority of the NFL.
Now, they are adding more NFL teams under its connection care.
Several NFL clubs, including the Los Angeles Chargers, the Green Bay Packers, the Houston Texans and the Minnesota Vikings, are deploying various solutions from Extreme to enhance fan experiences, improve operational efficiency and ensure reliable, high-speed Wi-Fi connectivity for better game-day activities.
“Connectivity is the modern-day 12th man in any stadium,” said Gary Brantley, Chief Information Officer, NFL. “To make gameday successful and provide a fresh experience for fans and clubs alike, you need a network capable of powering something extraordinary. Extreme delivers on that promise and exceeds expectations, and that’s why our relationship has been a success.”
The Chargers selected Extreme to drive seamless connectivity at the club’s new 150,000-square-foot practice facility, The Bolt. The Chargers deployment includes cloud-managed, fast connectivity through Wi-Fi 6E, which creates greater capacity and data transfer for the Chargers to improve mobile application performance, instant access to playbooks and analytics and live video analysis, among other benefits.
The Vikings selected Extreme’s AI-native cloud networking and Wi-Fi solutions to improve connectivity across the 66,000-seat stadium. This enhances the performance of mobile ticketing, mobile concessions, video replays, interactive applications and connected devices like security cameras. The club also created a foundation for next-generation experiences like AR/VR and fan contests and promotions. Most importantly, the Vikings will easily scale the network capacity for events, reduce hardware costs associated with upgrades and lower total cost of ownership.
The Packers upgraded Lambeau Field with a new Wi-Fi 6E network. Fans attending games this season should expect better connectivity to capture and share their favorite moments as well as take advantage of mobile services like concessions and ticketing.
“Wi-Fi 6E is the critical foundation for us to create immersive new experiences that keep fans engaged and entertained,” said Kenny Ansel, Director of IT, Green Bay Packers. “Also, with enhanced visibility into fan activity, network activity and foot traffic flow within the stadium, we can deploy staff and keep operations smooth and secure from start to finish.”
And down in Houston, the Texans will offer Texans fans and attendees of other events like Monster Jam a fast network. And, with ExtremeCloud Business Insights for Venues, the Texans will have greater visibility into fan preferences while helping the stadium’s operations team monitor crowd movements, optimize concession sales and manage resources more effectively – making gameday more enjoyable and frictionless.
“There is no vendor that can master the complex deployments of wireless connectivity across stadiums and venues better than Extreme, and that is why we continue to extend our reach with clubs like the Chargers, Packers, Vikings and Texans,” said Norman Rice, Chief Commercial Officer, Extreme. “The combination of our best-in-class wireless connectivity with industry-unique insights and analytics helps clubs create a more personalized and seamless experience throughout the stadium. Together, we’re building the future of immersive experiences like AR navigation and game replays, fan interactions and live streaming.”
The 2024 NFL season marks Extreme’s 12th consecutive season as the league’s official provider of Wi-Fi Solutions and Wi-Fi Analytics. We’ll likely hear more about Extreme’s reach in various sports across the globe as they look to make the fan experience a memorable one.
Edited by
Alex Passett
