With the World Series coming to a dramatic finish and football season now in full swing, fans are sharing sports content more than ever. Spectators constantly use cell phones at sporting events, from posting that perfect shot to updating fantasy rosters. But, as those who attend live sporting events all know, cellular data in packed stadiums is often VERY slow. This is caused by cell tower congestion and can be extremely frustrating.
Photo by Anders Krøgh Jørgensen on Unsplash
That’s where Wi-Fi comes in. Stadiums and venues around the country are upgrading their networks to allow fans to stream, post, browse, and text when they need to.
Installing Wi-Fi in stadiums is improving the fan experience. The Indianapolis Colts announced this season that the team is installing Wi-Fi 6 — the latest generation of super-fast wireless connection — at Lucas Oil Stadium. And just this week, SoFi Stadium — the future home of the Los Angeles Chargers and Rams, and the NFL’s largest stadium — publicized its plan to install the fastest Wi-Fi 6 service in any NFL stadium. Wi-Fi 6 was built with congested spaces like stadiums in mind and can support many devices with high-speed connectivity and low latency.
This new amenity brings limitless benefits to spectators. With paper ticket stubs becoming a thing of the past, fans will no longer have to worry about accessing their mobile tickets. Some Wi-Fi-equipped stadiums are also implementing mobile food delivery. With this offering, fans can order refreshments on their cell phones without missing any of the action! Wi-Fi 6 will also enable spectators to stream and follow all of their favorite teams around the league right from their seats– perfect for fantasy football! Most importantly, fans in sports centers with Wi-Fi 6 won’t have to worry about poor connection on messaging applications. Wi-Fi 6allows fans and concertgoers alike to stay in touch with each other, so no one gets lost in the crowd.
Wi-Fi 6’s capabilities are not limited to sports venues. As this technology quickly becomes more readily available, public spaces like malls, parks, airports, and even city neighborhoods could soon be equipped with high-speed public Wi-Fi.