Arizona Cardinals Unveil Plans to Build Most Advanced Stadium Wi-Fi in NFL
When the big game goes down next year at the Arizona Cardinals’ University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Ariz., fans can rest assured they’ll be able to tweet, Snapchat, Instagram and Facebook to their hearts’ desire during the game.
The Cardinals last week announced a multiyear partnership with CDW that promises to make the stadium “among the NFL’s most technologically advanced facilities.” The most valuable improvement for most game-attending fans, of course, is access to speedy and reliable Wi-Fi. Work is under way to install “new Cisco-based network for pervasive wireless across the entire stadium, providing fans with reliable, secure access on game days.”
The University of Phoenix Stadium is just the latest among many major sports venues to get the wireless work-up. As we noted in a recent BizTech article highlighting the recent interest in stadium tech, in-stadium wireless is fast becoming a standard requirement.
To meet the need of their bandwidth-craving fans, the Georgia Dome deployed a wireless network capable of 1.5 megabit-per-second transfer rates for up to 28,000 of its guests. And the Kansas City Chiefs’ Arrowhead Stadium now has more than 600 wireless access points, accommodating wireless connections throughout the massive venue.
To show how serious the NFL is about its investment in IT, the league brought onboard its first CIO, Michelle McKenna-Doyle, two years ago. She wrote about her role recently in a guest column for BizTech.
I am responsible for integrating and delivering our sideline of the future, partnering with teams to deliver the best in-stadium experiences and perfecting our instant-replay system, among other projects.
These investments in better, more connected in-stadium experiences will pay off as the league continues to strategically integrate tech with football.
To learn more about how technology and football are forming the ultimate team, read up on our football and tech content series.
