The installation is scheduled to be completed this month and includes approximately 900 of Extreme’s Wi-Fi 6E APs
Comcast Business and Extreme Networks have partnered to provide Oracle Park — the home to the San Francisco Giants — with a Wi-Fi 6E-ready network, making the sports venue the first of its kind to be completely Wi-Fi 6E ready.
“The Giants are setting the bar of excellence when it comes to fan experience and overall operational efficiency,” commented John Brams, vice president of strategic accounts at Extreme Networks. “In this day and age, when fans come to the park, they expect the experience off the field to match what they see on the field. With the backbone of a high-bandwidth, high-performing, superhighway network, the Giants have laid the foundation for next-generation services like streaming and biometrics.”
According to the companies, Wi-Fi 6E, which refers to the ability for Wi-Fi to leverage the 6 GHz band for unlicensed Wi-Fi operation, enable devices to download and upload data from the Internet faster and with lower latency, improving overall user experience. This advanced connectivity will make it possible for the venue to offer fan applications like fast mobile ticket entry and mobile concessions, as well as prepare itself for future innovations like AR/VR experiences and biometrics-based park entry.
“With ubiquitous WiFi coverage throughout the ballpark, fans will be able to reliably enjoy any number of connected experiences – whether sharing with friends on social media, finding their way around the ballpark via their mobile devices or ordering concessions online,” said Comcast Business in a statement. “Behind the scenes, the new network will provide improved reliability to power business functions like point-of-sale and ticketing, as well as the ability to rapidly deploy wireless infrastructure for temporary events on the field or outside the ballpark.”
The installation at Oracle Park is scheduled to be completed this month and includes approximately 900 of Extreme’s Wi-Fi 6E access points, some of which that will be placed overhead and under-seat.
Once up and running, the network will managed via the ExtremeCloudIQ toolset, providing Comcast Business and the Giants a single view into the park’s network performance, while ExtremeAnalytics will deliver insights into network and user activity to pinpoint network issues and help improve performance and streamline operations.
With a “flip of a switch,” claimed Comcast, the new Wi-Fi network can can go from 10 GB up to 100 GB, and as technology advances, Oracle Park can adjust its network without installing any new technology. And this works just fine for the Giants, according to the team’s SVP & CIO Bill Schlough. “As we implement this new technology, we are also making sure that we install it in such a way that it can be easily upgraded so that as technology advances, we can continue to provide a best-in-class connected experience,” he said.
Extreme Networks provides Wi-Fi 6 solutions and analytics to several Major League Baseball (MLB) ballparks including Boston’s Fenway Park.
