NFL teams throw to Extreme Networks to enhance fan experiences

Extreme Wireless is celebrating its twelfth consecutive season as the NFL’s official provider of Wi-Fi solutions and Wi-Fi analytics, adding the Green Bay Packers, LA Chargers, Houston Texans and Minnesota Vikings to a total of 27 NFL teams now using its Wi-Fi 6E and analytics solutions.

The clubs are deploying the technology to enhance fan experiences, improve operational efficiency, and ensure reliable, high-speed Wi-Fi connectivity for game-day activities. Connectivity, said NFL chief information officer Gary Brantley, is now “the modern-day 12th man” in any stadium.

“To make game day successful and provide a fresh experience for fans and clubs alike, you need a network capable of powering something extraordinary,” said Brantley.

“As we head into our twelfth season as partners [with Extreme], we will continue to find new ways to create new and engaging experiences, whether that is leaning into network analytics for insights on fan preferences, or rolling out new in-stadium services like self-service retail or in-stadium apps. Extreme provides the critical technology foundation to allow us to up our game each season.”

Among the new deployments, the Los Angeles Chargers has selected Extreme to drive seamless connectivity at the club’s new 150,000ft², state-of-the-art practice facility, The Bolt. The Chargers deployment includes cloud-managed Wi-Fi 6E connectivity, which creates greater capacity and data transfer for the Chargers to improve mobile application performance and gain instant access to playbooks, analytics and live video analysis, among other benefits.

The Minnesota Vikings selected Extreme’s AI-native cloud networking and Wi-Fi solutions to improve connectivity across its 66,000-seat stadium, greatly enhancing the performance of mobile ticketing, mobile concessions, video replays, interactive applications and connected devices like security cameras.

The club believes that it has created a foundation for next-generation experiences like AR/VR and fan contests and promotions. Extreme states that the Vikings will be able to scale the network capacity for events, reduce hardware costs associated with upgrades, and lower total cost of ownership.

The Green Bay Packers upgraded its iconic Lambeau Field with a new Wi-Fi 6E network. Extreme assured fans attending games this season should expect seamless connectivity and to be able to take advantage of mobile services such as concessions and ticketing.

In its deployment, the Houston Texans team is said to be creating a modern experience at its NRG Stadium this season, offering fans and attendees of other events such as Monster Jam with a fast network.

With ExtremeCloud Business Insights for Venues, the Texans will have greater visibility into fan preferences while helping the stadium’s operations team monitor crowd movements, optimise concession sales and manage resources more effectively – making game day more enjoyable and “frictionless”.

“The combination of our…wireless connectivity with industry-unique insights and analytics helps clubs create a more personalised and seamless experience throughout the stadium,” said Extreme Networks chief commercial officer Norman Rice.

“Together [with NFL], we’re building the future of immersive experiences like AR navigation and game replays, fan interactions and live streaming. The network is the hub of stadium experiences, and Extreme ensures that every connection is fast, secure and stable.”