T-Mobile on call at MLB All-Star Week

Article posted by Coliseum, July 12^th, 2024

Image: Globe Life Park, redlegsfan21, CC BY-SA 2.0

T-Mobile is stepping up to the plate and raising the bar for the fan experience during Major League Baseball (MLB) All-Star Week at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas.

T-Mobile said it will showcase a huge line-up of innovative experiences backed by its industry-leading 5G network for fans at the ballpark and those tuning in at home. The innovations include:

Go-Ahead Entry

For the first time at All-Star Week, MLB’s free-flow entry experience will be available at select gates around the stadium and will be powered by T-Mobile 5G, making getting into the game easier for fans than ever before.

T-Mobile utilizes optimized 5G network slicing to connect proprietary facial authentication technology in real-time, which results in quicker, hands-free entry into the ballpark.

Fans attending events at Globe Life Field during All-Star Week can voluntarily opt-in to the program by snapping a selfie in the MLB Ballpark app and using seamless entry at select gates around the stadium.

Increased Accessibility

T-Mobile is partnering with MLB and OneCourt to give fans that are visually impaired the ability to experience baseball like never before with 5G-connected devices during the All-Star Game presented by Mastercard.

Leveraging Hawk-Eye sensors and multiple cameras throughout the stadium, MLB captures and transfers its player and ball tracking data to OneCourt, which translates the data into a haptic language — all using T-Mobile’s 5G network to transmit the data in real time so fans that are visually impaired can feel vibrations that mirror the game as it’s happening.

5G Automated Balls and Strikes

For the second year in a row, MLB will test the automated ball-strike (ABS) challenge system leveraging a 5G private mobile network from T-Mobile’s 5G Advanced Network Solutions (ANS) during the All-Star Futures Game featuring top Minor League prospects.

A 5G private network from T-Mobile Advanced Network Solutions helps share pitch data directly to the ABS system via 5G-connected devices — ensuring quick and secure pitch location verification.

A private 5G network provides an ultra-reliable and low-latency connection, enabling real-time communication to and from the ABS system as calls are challenged, pitches are analyzed and decisions are relayed to players and fans.

T-Mobile 5G Batting Practice

Fans can tune into the T-Mobile 5G BP show to see new, immersive angles of players as they warm up for the T-Mobile Home Run Derby.

New this year, three high-speed cameras positioned to the left and right of home plate as well as on top of the batting cage will broadcast the action live at up to 4,500 frames per second.

T-Mobile’s 5G network will be used to transmit large packets of data from the broadcast compound to the production studio in New York to unlock remote production of the stream. This means fans will be able to see the moment the bat meets the ball — even the ball’s squish — with incredible clarity.

Fans will also get unmatched, expansive views of the field with a high definition 5G drone camera, field level perspective with 5G POV cameras and even looks around the stadium with a 5G fan cam.

Mike Katz, President of Marketing, Strategy and Products, T-Mobile, said, “At T-Mobile, we never stop helping our partners find new ways to innovate. This year we’re going even further, with our partners at Major League Baseball, to improve the fan and game experiences as well as the on-site operations during All-Star Week.

“Through our partnership with MLB, we’re going beyond what we did last year with 5G-powered automated balls and strikes and our T-Mobile 5G BP show. We’re adding new innovations to transform in-person fan experiences, like Go-Ahead Entry for quick stadium access and OneCourt for greater live-game accessibility — and it’s all made possible by the power of our leading 5G network.”

To ensure fans have enhanced wireless speeds during All-Star Week in Arlington and beyond, T-Mobile made permanent 5G upgrades to the area, giving Un-carrier customers access to Ultra-Capacity 5G throughout the ballpark, on top of faster speeds across Arlington.

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