Comcast Business is partnering with Extreme Networks to provide a fully Wi-Fi 6E-capable network at Oracle Park, home to the San Francisco Giants.
The deployment will make Oracle Park the first professional sports venue to be completely Wi-Fi 6E ready, according to the companies.
Traditionally in the U.S., Wi-Fi has operated in the 2.4 and 5 GHz bands. Opening up the 6 GHz band coincides with the 6th generation of the Wi-Fi standard, which are designated with the 6E moniker.
Wi-Fi 6E comes with faster speeds and lower latency. That means the Giants will be able to improve the fan experience inside the park to include things like fast mobile ticket entry and mobile concessions as they ponder future innovations like AR/VR experiences and biometrics-based park entry, according to a press release.
Extreme Networks will deploy about 900 Wi-Fi 6E access points in a combination of overhead and under-the-seat placements to support both fans and back-of-house applications throughout the ballpark.
Comcast Business and the Giants will manage the network using the ExtremeCloudQ toolset, which allows them to detect anomalies before they cause issues. In addition, ExtremeAnalytics offers insights into network activity so they can identify bottlenecks in venue traffic or determine where they need to redeploy resources.
“We are thrilled to build upon Oracle Park’s 20-year legacy as the first sports facility to bring free Wi-Fi to our fans, with a new network that will serve the needs of our fans and staff well into the future,” said Bill Schlough, SVP and CIO for the San Francisco Giants, in a statement. “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.”