Dedicated 5G networks for smart sports stadiums and venues

Advances in technology are dramatically changing the live fan experience at sports stadiums and venues as technology is making it more convenient, personal and engaging for fans around the world. Over the past decade, more and more people have made interacting and utilizing technology a key part of their game day or concert experience. When it comes to sporting events and concerts, connectivity has historically hindered the use of technology, but connectivity issues at sports stadiums are quickly becoming a thing of the past.

Today, fans want and expect the same network performance in a venue or stadium that they experience from their living room couch. Fans want to stay connected during the game, whether that means watching replays on their phones, sharing on social media, calling friends and family, digitally interacting with their sports team, streaming video content, or purchasing food and beverages directly from their mobile devices. These expectations have led to a high demand for secure and reliable network connections throughout venues and stadiums that were previously out of reach. Just as smart buildings, smart homes, and smart cars continue to grow, it should come as no surprise that “smart stadiums” will play a major role in smart cities around the world.

What is a smart stadium?

Smart Stadiums provide fans and staff with enhanced, real-time information around the stadium (e.g., parking availability, restroom and concession lines, seat upgrades, special offers, etc.), providing fans with a better, more personalized experience and improving physical security within the venue while enabling new services that benefit both fans and venue operators.

In Seattle, Amazon's Climate Pledge Arena is known for two things: being a net-zero climate-focused venue and being on the cutting edge of technology. For example, Climate Pledge Arena concessions utilize scanning technology that allows customers to shop and pay without being hindered by checkout lines. When items are removed from the shelf, sensors are triggered. Fans then go to the checkout area at the front of the store and scan their palm print. This palm print has a credit card attached to it because the user has pre-registered this information into the system. Stores that utilize this technology include Starbucks, Lil' Woody's Burgers, Big Chicken, and 14 islands on Isle Saint-Michel. This type of technology reduces waste, shortens wait times, and simplifies the shopping experience.

Traditionally, sports stadiums have relied on Ethernet, public cellular networks, and WiFi to connect stadiums. However, public cellular networks are often bandwidth-constrained due to the high density of devices in a small geographic area. The lower latency and higher bandwidth of 5G networks alleviate some of these challenges, but cannot be relied upon alone for a broad range of consumer, provider, and enterprise use cases. Ethernet has limitations in supporting mobile use cases, and WiFi lacks the hardened security required for sensitive information such as credit card transactions and mobile payments.

While Ethernet, WiFi, and cellular technologies will continue to play an important role in connecting smart stadiums, venues everywhere are also looking to dedicated 5G networks to connect thousands of IoT devices throughout the stadium—bridging the gap by delivering 5G speeds and enhanced mobility.

Sports stadiums around the world are beginning to realize the benefits of dedicated 5G networks in terms of increasing revenue, streamlining operations, and providing an optimal fan experience. One example is Petco Park, home of the San Diego Padres. Providing secure, reliable, and seamless connectivity to a stadium that seats more than 40,000 fans is no easy feat.

To provide this level of connectivity, Petco Park recently installed a 5G private cellular network to reliably power mobile applications and make the fan experience more convenient. This private cellular implementation enables employee iPads and POS devices to connect to process mobile food, beverage, and merchandise transactions. Since the installation, Petco Park has generated more sales from concessions and merchandise by making the mobile payment process completely frictionless, processing customer transactions faster, and increasing merchandise sales.

Dedicated 5G eSIM technology

The capabilities of eSIM technology enable the deployment of dedicated 5G cellular networks in stadiums and arenas. eSIM technology provides a network identity as a service (CaaS) model, enabling network operators around the world to fully leverage the value of digital authentication on eSIM-enabled devices, including smartphones, wearables, laptops and tablets.