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SF Giants: 12,000 Fans per Game use Stadium Wi-Fi at AT&T Park

May 28, 2012 by

If there is a poster child for the Wi-Fi in stadiums movement it’s AT&T Park, home of Major League Baseball’s San Francisco Giants. According to the team’s chief information officer, approximately 12,000 fans use the stadium’s free Wi-Fi service at every game, up from just a few hundred several years ago.

“In 2004 when we first provided Wi-Fi we maybe had 50 geeks from Silicon Valley doing their email at the games,” said Bill Schlough, senior vice president and CIO for the Giants. “By 2008 there were 400 or 500 a game [using the network] and now we see around 11,000 or 12,000 fans on the network during games. It’s a challenge to stay in front [of the usage].”

Schlough, speaking at InformationWeek’s live Valley View show last week, also said that network traffic at the ballpark is “doubling every year,” which means that his team is in a perpetual state of busy, adding capacity not just for Wi-Fi connections but also for 3G and 4G cellular links.

“You think it [traffic] is going to stop growing, but it’s not,” Schlough said. “Every year we have to keep investing [in infrastructure] to stay in front.”

Filed Under: AT&T, Baseball, iPad, iPhone, Major League Baseball, San Francisco Giants, Twitter, Wi-Fi Tagged With: , , , ,

Goodell: Wi-Fi Needed in Every NFL Stadium

May 24, 2012 by

At a press conference Tuesday NFL commissioner Roger Goodell left no doubts about where the league stands on Wi-Fi in stadiums: He wants league-wide networks in every NFL venue, so that fans “don’t have to shut down” their mobile devices.

Too bad the video from the NFL isn’t embeddable (hint, guys: sharing is good) but you can view it here to get Goodell’s no-questions-about-it take on Wi-Fi in stadiums as a neccessity. If you listen to the video you hear Goodell talk about all the things the NFL wants its fans to be able to experience digitally while at games — like access to the Red Zone channel, other highlights, and social media.

The devil, of course, is in the details and when asked about how much it would cost to equip every stadium with Wi-Fi, Goodell joked, telling the questioner “you sound like an owner.” While the cost of putting a wireless network will vary at each location, Major League Baseball has a similar impetus and has roughed out the cost at around $3 million per stadium, which is pretty much in line with what we’ve heard and seen.

While some NFL stadiums have Wi-Fi in various areas, like luxury suites, we’re not aware yet of an NFL venue with full blown Wi-Fi, like baseball’s AT&T Park in San Francisco. Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis got a bunch of upgrades for the Super Bowl but that was mostly quick-fix stuff like DAS, small cell antennas that are mainly a band-aid type solution for bandwidth and not something like full-blown Wi-Fi that can handle, say, multiple video streams.

As such Goodell admitted the Wi-Fi initiative wasn’t something that would arrive by the 2012 season, though there might be some test situations where Wi-Fi gets unveiled. Certainly there is no shortage of service providers like AT&T and Verizon who are interested in stadium networking, as are gear suppliers like Cisco, Xirrus, Meru Networks, and possibly others like Brocade, which has apparently signed a deal to be the networking supplier for the new San Francisco 49ers stadium.

The good news is for the industry and for fans — with approval from the top of the league, Wi-Fi in stadiums is now a priority. App developers, integrators and others — start your innovation engines now.

Filed Under: AT&T, Baseball, Boston Red Sox, Cisco, DAS, Live Sports Video Consumption, Major League Baseball, NFL, NFL Network, San Francisco Giants, Wi-Fi Tagged With: , ,

ExteNet Systems Scores Miami DAS Deal, Becoming a Player in Stadium Network Market

April 23, 2012 by

When it comes to in-stadium wireless networks, it turns out that teams and wireless providers aren’t the only players in the game. ExteNet Systems, a Lisle, Ill. startup, is rapidly scoring points by playing the “middleman” role, building out stadium networks at no cost to teams and making money by renting network access to the carriers.

Last week ExteNet announced it was the builder of the new Distributed Antenna System (DAS) installation at the new Marlins Park in Miami, with Verizon Wireless and T-Mobile USA already signed up as customers. And it turns out that ExteNet was also behind Verizon’s DAS deployment in and around Lucas Oil Stadium for the recent Super Bowl XLVI. Those deployments are just part of a new stadium-business push from ExteNet, which also put in a DAS system at the “Big House,” the huge bowl stadium at the University of Michigan, last fall.

Though ExteNet also provides in-building networks to some more traditional markets — like health care and hospitality, where large groups of people are seeking network access inside a confined space — it’s looking to add more stadium customers in the near future. According to CEO Ross Manire, a veteran of the networking industry, the boom in powerful handheld devices has created a “perfect storm” of capacity consumption that can’t be addressed by the historical cellular antenna architectures.

“You used to just worry about voice coverage,” said Manire in a phone interview last week. “But phones are really data terminals now, and the question becomes how do you manage strain on networks [at stadiums]. “In the past you may have been able to get a voice signal from a cell tower several blocks away. That doesn’t work now.”

The privately held ExteNet, which received a $128.4 million funding round at the start of 2010, thinks it can help both carriers and venue owners by providing “middleman” network services. The basic business model, Manire said, has ExteNet building and owning the stadium network, which it deploys at no cost to the team or building owners. It then charges carriers a “node activation fee,” a sort of monthly rent to let their services ride on the network.

If you’re not familar with how a DAS works, it’s essentialy a bunch of small cellular antennas that are mounted on ceilings and walls inside buildings, instead of on huge towers like traditional cellular antennas. A DAS network administrator provides normal cellular connectivity to users, and then connects those signals to the appropriate cellular vendor on the network’s back end. DAS deployments can also add Wi-Fi antennas to their infrastructure mix. ExteNet, like many DAS operators, can connect its back end to any number of cellular networks, meaning that fans don’t have to be a customer of a certain provider to get better in-stadium service.

The openness of ExteNet’s design may make it a better choice for stadium operators than an internal network designed and owned by a single carrier, since fans wouldn’t have to be customers of a specific carrier to get better service. ExteNet runs a network operations center 24/7 to provide support to all its networks, and signs a service level agreement (SLA) with both the stadium owner and its cellular partners to give both parties what they really want — happier customers.

“We’re seeing an incredible amount of attention from stadium and team owners, who need to provide a good [wireless] experience,” Manire said. “Fans believe they should be able to connect wherever they go. Of course that’s easier said than done.”

But now ExteNet may be part of making that connectivity a reality for more fans, going forward.

Filed Under: 4G LTE, AT&T, Cisco, DAS, Super Bowl, Wi-Fi Tagged With: , , , ,

Verizon Puts DAS Network Into Miami’s New Ballpark

April 4, 2012 by

An example of a Distributed Antenna System (DAS) antenna atop a light pole. Credit: Sidecut Reports.

Verizon Wireless announced it has installed a Distributed Antenna System (DAS) inside the new Marlins Park in Miami, to better serve fans who want to use their Verizon phones and tablets at the games.

Though Verizon also notes that its new 4G LTE wireless network is up and running in the Miami area, big crowds with cellphones can easily swamp the regular cellular network in and around stadiums. One of the steps providers like Verizon and AT&T are now taking is using DAS deployments to install a number of small cellular antennas inside and outside arenas, to provide more connection points.

While today’s press release doesn’t try as hard as previous ones, it is still interesting that Verizon tries to make good news about the fact that their previous network installation simply can’t handle the new demands of the always-connected fan. Still, any capacity increases are good news for the fans who have in the past been frustrated by the lack of connectivity at the ballpark.

Here’s a look at the new ballpark, with its fish tanks and retractable roof.

Filed Under: 4G LTE, AT&T, Baseball, iPad, iPhone, Major League Baseball, Wi-Fi Tagged With: , , , , ,

Boston Bruins Combine all Social Media in Bruins DEN

March 28, 2012 by

While lamenting the fact that it is impossible for my March Madness team, now in second, to gain any additional points I failed to notice that the Boston Bruins have launched one of the most aggressive aggregation sites for social and traditional media concerning the team.

The Bruins, winner of the last Stanley Cup, have launched the Bruins Digital Entertainment Network (DEN), a site that combines television, ticket info, with a wide range of social media contacts and sources.

The site promises that it will provide not only what fans have come to expect in terms of data on players and games but it also said that it will be creating original content for fans to view. You can follow the team in a variety of manners including via BostonBruinsTV.com, at its popular web site BostonBruins.com or on Facebook. The list goes on with support at Twitter, Google +, Tumblr, as well as Facebook and Foursquare check-ins.

The Bruins DEN is a tool that will enable the teams’ corporate sponsors to reach out towards fans with a focused effort, and the site said that it expects to have 2.5 million unique visitors each month, so it should be quite an opportunity for them. Not only that but any technology that it uses is often highlighted with the name of the developer or partner,

An example of that is when the site says that its partners will benefit from its enhanced social analytics capabilities, courtesy of startup Umbel. It has an app for fans called the Official Boston Bruins Mobile App (Bruinsmobile.com) powered by AT&T. The app already features a sitcom series called ‘The Bear and the Gang’ that centers on the teams mascot. The bear also has his own Pinterest page.

The site is easy to navigate and all of the social media connections are clearly marked and easy to find. There is the almost obligatory Twitter feed, pictures from other fans posted using Instagram, and a hsot of additional connections ranging from one that gives you the all-time player roster to one that has a list of giveaways and events.

The organization is moving to provide fans access to its team in a great number of ways, and allowing them to show their pride and interest in the team. Regardless if you download and use the mobile app, post images on Instagram, comments of Facebook or check-in the Bruins are putting the fan experience first. At the same time the business side is carefully intertwined with the effort so that the team can monetize itself and its partners’ efforts in this endeavor.

About a decade ago just a few baseball teams had an Internet presence but MLB quickly learned what a tool the Internet was and pushed all of its teams online, and has since been very aggressive with all forms of social media. I hope that the NHL takes a page from that book and uses this as a template for the other teams in the league because I believe that fans will greatly embrace this opportunity.

Filed Under: Apps, AT&T, Facebook, Live sports via mobile, Live Sports Video Consumption, NHL, Pinterest Tagged With: , , ,

Mobile Sports Report TechWatch: Microsoft to Conquer China?

March 26, 2012 by


RIM takes steps to expand app library
Research in Motion, struggling to remain relevant in the smartphone space has started seeding software developers with an early version of its next generation BlackBerry 10 device. The move is designed to help jump start the software app space, an area that the company has lagged its major platform operating system rivals Apple iOS and Google’s Android.

The company plans to provide developers that attend its annual BlackBerry World conference that will be held in Orlando, Fla. in May with the prototype, called the BlackBerry 10 Dev Alpha. The company expects to deliver the final version of the BlackBerry 10 late this year.

The company also has helped refund the BlackBerry Partners Fund II that is being run by Relay Ventures, but that fund will also look to fund app developers on rival platforms, something that it did not do in the first round of funding.

Mobile security increasingly in legislators’ cross-hairs
Going hand in glove with the increasing news about apps and ads stealing personal data are legislators seeking to get involved. A pair of congressmen has sent letters to 34 social apps develops for Apple’s iOS platform asking about their information collection and use practices

The companies included Apple, Twitter, Foursquare, Hipster, Linkedin, Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram and the letters were sent by Energy and Commerce Committee Ranking Member Henry A. Waxman and Commerce, Manufacturing, and Trade Subcommittee Ranking Member G. K. Butterfield.

This request is separate from the one launched a week ago from U.S. Senator Charles Schumer who has asked the FTC to look into the manner Google and Apple’s operating systems run and f they violate users privacy.

In a somewhat related note Pinterest has changed and updated its terms of service, acceptable use and its privacy rules-in part to help prevent copyright material from being pasted onto pinboards.

iPad eats data plans due to streaming video
This is no real surprise to anyone that has used their smartphone or a tablet to watch live streaming video over a cellular network- data plan limits are just demolished often resulting in costly bills and the need for additional capacity.

One of the selling points of the latest iPad was its ability to connect to high speed LTE networks, and with that comes the ability to watch sports and news programs live over the network in great clarity due to the device’s high resolution screen capabilities.

One study has found that the downloading of a single HD movie download could cost as much as $50, and could cause throttling to ensue from the carrier. Of course all a user needs to do to avoid this issue is ensure that they are using a Wi-Fi connection rather than a cellular one.


Boombox the fasted adopted technology?
An interesting little factoid over at The Atlantic, which they culled from the ever popular Journal of Management and Marketing Research shows that among consumer electronics technologies that have been introduced in the last 50 years, the fastest to see wide spread adoption after 7 years on the market was the boombox with an over 60% market penetration. Boy that is a bet I would have lost. The next four are CD Player, DVD Player, VCR and portable CD Player.

Use your smartphone primarily as a camera? HTC wants you.
HTC has just shown a new smartphone, the HTC X One, a model that can take as manay as 4 four digital photos a second. The phone, powered by a quad-core processor and featuring a 4.7-inch screen can also snap photos while the user is viewing video.

The iPhone 5 is coming!
And already the rumors are flying! We will try and avoid doing weekly updates on the rumors, but I do wonder if Apple will follow the example it set with the latest iPad, simply calling it an iPad rather than iPad 3. Will the next iPhone be simply known as iPhone? Could be.

Microsoft to conquer China first
I guess that Microsoft is not taking Vizzini’s advice about never get involved in a land war in Asia. The company’s executives are claiming that its Windows Phone operating system will enable it to pass Apple’s iPhone in market share in China.

With low cost options available from its partners that come in significantly lower than Apple’s offerings the company said that it will first surpass Apple and then will have its sights set on the Android space, which it believes it will also surpass, at some unnamed point in the future.

The importance of the Chinese market should not be underestimated since it is now the world’s largest market for smartphones even though its market penetration is significantly lower than in the United States.

Will American’s really lose $30 billion worth of phones this year?
They will if you believe a piece in Silicon Angle. That is a lot of phones. I have no idea how accurate that info is, but I will say I have found an iPhone 4 and a phone from Nokia in the last two weeks.

Filed Under: 4G LTE, Android, Apple, Apps, AT&T, FTC, HTC, iPad, iPhone, Microsoft, Smartphone, Tablets Tagged With: , , , ,
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