Neyland Stadium boosts WiFi coverage

Article posted by Coliseum, May 13^th, 2024

Image: Neyland Stadium, Berniestew, Public Domain

The University of Tennessee in Knoxville has deployed a new network offering blanket WiFi 6E access to all 101,195 seats in its historic Neyland Stadium.

Spaces4learning said the project’s goal is to provide unlimited content streaming and other modern mobile services to fans during the entire game-day experience in the stadium.

Neyland Stadium is a sports stadium in Knoxville, Tennessee, United States. It serves primarily as the home of the Tennessee Volunteers football team but is also used to host large conventions and has been a site for several National Football League (NFL) exhibition games. The stadium’s official capacity is 101,915.

The stadium is undergoing a series of improvements to modernize the fan and visitor experience through enhanced amenities and diversified seating options, improving fan safety and security and aligning stadium features and aesthetics with campus architectural standards.

The roll-out of the new WiFi network will also allow for the smooth operation of other stadium services like mobile ticketing, physical security, point-of-sale systems, and communication. The university partnered with HPE Aruba Networking.

Thomas Moats, Jr., the University of Tennessee Assistant Athletic Director for Information Technology said, “Exceptional game day and special event experiences play an important part in fulfilling our mission to lead the way forward in all aspects of college sports.

“Adopting wireless connectivity, including Wi-Fi 6E, from HPE Aruba Networking enables us to achieve our connected stadium goals for supplying next-generation mobile experiences that contribute to an exceptional fan experience.”

Moats also said that applications range from touchless gate entry to monitoring other sporting events to providing children’s entertainment to social media access. It has also improved wait times at all of the stadium’s 26 gates.

The AI-powered management solutions YPE Aruba Networking User Experience Insight (UXI) and HPE Aruba Networking Central on Premises will provide both real-time network health and performance monitoring as well as network optimization and security, respectively.

Moats added, “With HPE Aruba Networking Central we gain an intuitive management solution that helps us rapidly troubleshoot our network and provides real-time insights for optimizing Wi-Fi performance during fast-moving events.

“In addition to supporting a wide range of currently-connected solutions, we’ll be able to roll out many new IoT solutions, such as restroom and lighting management systems for further improved attendee experiences and operational sustainability.”

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