GLENDALE, AZ — For the past two years, Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE: VZ) has been installing new technology across the Phoenix area and specifically in State Farm Stadium ahead of the Super Bowl.
The NFL’s championship game will be played in Glendale at State Farm Stadium on Feb. 12 and will attract tens of thousands of people, and Verizon, which has a partnership with the NFL, wants to make sure its network can handle the increased traffic on its network.
While fans will be using the network to post on social media and make mobile sports bets, more and more stadium operations rely on wireless technology – meaning there needs to be a lot of 5G available during the game. Teams, stadium staff and the companies operating inside the stadium need wireless connectivity for a variety of reasons including corporate operations, commerce platforms, security and surveillance, on-field operations, digital signage, broadcast production, and tracking player stats and performance.
A 2022 survey, conducted by Stadium Tech Report, of executives of arenas and teams in the U.S. found that the two largest initiatives in 2023 would be improving wireless connectivity for fans and improving connectivity for operations.
