SPORTS Game Day Goes Viral by Rachel Wiley F
or sports fans, connectivity can mean the difference between merely watching the game and being a part of the game. In fact, in July of this year, NFL Com-
missioner Roger Goodell announced plans to have Wi-Fi in every stadium. “We believe that it is important to get technology into our stadiums. We have made the point repeatedly that the experience at home is outstanding, and we have to compete with that in some fashion by making sure that we create the same kind of environment in our stadiums and create the same kind of technology.” Te competition between home and a stadium can be fierce. Fans at home are able to actively use Wi-Fi to engage in social media, watch replays or connect with other fans, something that many stadiums are lacking. However, taking a cue from larger venues like the Rose Bowl and Staples Center, Verizon LTE is helping the collegiate sec- tor make this same pledge. Verizon teamed up with Auburn University to incor-
porate Wi-Fi in Jordan-Hare Stadium, just in time for Au- burn’s first home game. Verizon, together with iBAHN, built and installed a network called AU Guest W-Fi, built specifically to handle high-traffic on game days to keep fans connected, interactive and involved in the game day experience. While Verizon supports the connectivity and backhaul to public Internet, iBAHN provides the custom- er support and payment processing in the partnership. Together, the two are helping create more interactive game days for college fans. Anyone with tablets, smartphones or laptops were able to connect to the Wi-Fi network, either through AU Guest W-Fi or through Verizon’s 3G and 4G LTE networks via a distributed antenna system (DAS). In the digital age, this connectivity allowed students and boost- ers means more than just a text message or a call – this means accessing social media outlets such as Facebook and Twitter, as well as providing internet and email access capabilities, stat checks, picture uploads and the ability to check in with friends.
40 NOV/DEC 2012 •
TODAYSCAMPUS.COM But Jordan-Hare Stadium is only the first of many,
says James A. Timmons, Vice President, Strategy for Verizon, who says that Verizon is helping to “replicate [the initiative] across many university campuses.” Offering the nations largest 4G LTE network (75 percent of the U.S. population), Verizon is anticipating that 4G capa- bilities will match that of 3G capabilities at the end of 2013, making it the predominant network. “Tis is ideal for large universities that have large athletic venues and are concerned about data or traffic usage on game day,” said Kevin Irland, Public Relations Manager. “We try to analyze the business problem that a university partner needs to have solved rather than immediately gravitating towards a particular technology. Tere needs to be the right strategy, the right model, to leverage big data with real-time access,” Irland adds. Success in one arena can certainly lead to a cookie cutter effect in terms of game day connectivity for college fans. Trough something as seemingly simple as the ad- dition of Wi-Fi, campuses are able to follow suit of other entertainment venues and capture the excitement of the game day experience over the Internet. For more information on Auburn University’s experience
with Verizon LTE or other current Verizon initiatives, visit
www.NewsCenter.Verizon.com.
Rachel Wiley is the Managing Editor at Today’s Campus.
rAChEl@TODAYSCAMPUS.COM
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