Extreme Networks, Inc., a leader in cloud networking, recently announced that several National Football League (NFL) (US) clubs, including the Los Angeles Chargers, the Green Bay Packers, the Houston Texans, and the Minnesota Vikings, are deploying a variety of innovative solutions from Extreme to dramatically enhance the fan experiences, improve operational efficiency and ensure reliable, high-speed Wi-Fi connectivity for seamless gameday activities.
‘yahoo!finance’ stated that 27 NFL teams are leveraging Extreme solutions such as Wi-Fi 6E and ExtremeCloud™ Business Insights for Venues to create seamless Wi-Fi connectivity across stadiums and practice facilities. The 2024 NFL season marks Extreme’s 12th consecutive season as the league’s official provider of Wi-Fi Solutions and Wi-Fi Analytics.
San Jose (US)-based the Extreme Networks, Inc. (EXTR) is a leader in cloud networking focused on delivering services that connect devices, applications and people in new ways. They push the boundaries of technology, leveraging the powers of machine learning, artificial intelligence (AI), analytics, and automation. Fifty thousand (50,000) customers globally trust their end-to-end, cloud-driven networking solutions and rely on their top-rated services and support to accelerate their digital transformation efforts and deliver progress like never before.
New York (US)-based the National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams divided equally between the American Football Conference and the National Football Conference.
The Los Angeles Chargers are a professional American football team based in the Greater Los Angeles area (US). The Chargers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference West Division. The team play their home games at the 70,000-capacity SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California.
The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin (US). Competing in the National Football League (NFL) as part of the National Football Conference North Division, the Packers are the third-oldest franchise in the NFL established in 1919. The 81,441-capacity Lambeau Field in Green Bay serves as their home ground.
The Houston Texans are a professional American football team based in Houston (US). The Texans compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference South Division and play their home games at the 72,220-capacity NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas.
The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis (US). The Vikings compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference North Division. Founded in 1960 as an expansion team, the team began play the following year. The 73,000-capacity U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minnesota, serves as their home field.
New deployments this season include:
- The Los Angeles Chargers selected Extreme to drive seamless connectivity at the club’s new 150,000 square foot, state-of-the-art practice facility – The Bolt. The Chargers deployment includes cloud-managed, blazing-fast connectivity (Wi-Fi 6E) which creates greater capacity and data transfer for the Chargers to improve mobile application performance, instant access to playbooks and 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 the 73,000-capacity stadium greatly enhancing the performance of mobile ticketing, mobile concessions, video replays, interactive applications, and connected devices like security cameras. The club has created a foundation for the next-generation experiences like augmented reality (AR)/virtual reality (VR) and fan contests and promotions. Most importantly, the Vikings will be able to easily scale the network capacity for events, reduce hardware costs associated with upgrades and lower total cost of ownership.
- The Green Bay Packers upgraded their historic home arena – the Lambeau Field – with a new Wi-Fi 6E network. Fans attending games this season should expect seamless connectivity to capture and share their favorite moments as well as take advantage of mobile services like concessions and ticketing.
- The Houston Texans are creating a modern experience at their home venue – the NRG Stadium – this season offering the Texans fans and attendees of other events like Monster Jam with a blazing-fast network. And, with ExtremeCloud Business Insights for Venues, the Texans will have greater visibility into fan preferences while helping the stadium’s operations team monitor the crowd movements, optimize concession sales and manage resources more effectively – making gameday more enjoyable and frictionless.
Executive Perspectives
Maintained Gary Brantley, Chief Information Officer (CIO), National Football League, “Connectivity is the modern-day 12th Man in any stadium. To make gameday successful and provide a fresh experience for the fans and the clubs alike, you need a network capable of powering something extraordinary. Extreme delivers on that promise and exceeds expectations and that’s why our relationship has been a success. As we head into our 12th season as partners, 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.”
Commented Kenny Ansel, Director of Information Technology (IT), Green Bay Packers, “This season, we’ve elevated our performance both on and off the field with Wi-Fi 6E from Extreme. Fans at the Lambeau Field will experience seamless mobile ticketing and transactions and uninterrupted connectivity to stream highlights and capture and share their favorite moments on gameday. The Wi-Fi 6E is the critical foundation for us to create immersive new experiences that keep the fans engaged and entertained. Also, with enhanced visibility into fan activity, network activity and foot traffic flow within the stadium, we can deploy staff and keep operations smooth and secure from start to finish. Extreme has been a strategic partner to the Packers for several years and the combination of their innovative solutions and commitment to mutual success will help us take our performance to new heights for seasons to come.”
Noted Norman Rice, Chief Commercial Officer, Extreme Networks, “There is no vendor that can master the complex deployments of wireless connectivity across stadiums and venues better than Extreme and that is why we continue to extend our reach with clubs like the Chargers, Packers, Vikings, and Texans. The combination of our best-in-class wireless connectivity with industry-unique insights and analytics helps the clubs create a more personalized and seamless experience throughout the stadium. Together, 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.”
Did You Know?
‘yahoo!finance’ further stated that Extreme is a trusted provider of venue solutions worldwide delivering Wi-Fi and analytics built for venues to leagues including the Major League Baseball (MLB), the National Hockey League (NHL), the Minor League Baseball (MiLB), the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR), the 74,475-capacity Olympiastadion in Berlin, Germany, the Bundesliga team Borussia Dortmund (Germany), the Premier League teams Manchester United F.C. and the Liverpool Football Club (UK).
New York (US)-based the Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league and the highest level of organized baseball in the United States and Canada. One of the big four major leagues, the MLB comprises 30 teams divided equally between the National League and the American League with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada.
New York (US)-based the National Hockey League (NHL) is a professional ice hockey league in North America comprising 32 teams – 25 in the United States and 7 in Canada.
St. Petersburg (US)-based the Minor League Baseball (MiLB) is a professional baseball organization below Major League Baseball (MLB) including teams affiliated with the MLB clubs. Entering the 2021 season, the number of full-season MLB-affiliated minor leagues with teams in the United States and Canada was reduced to 11 with a total of 120 teams.
Daytona Beach (US)-based the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR), LLC is an American auto racing sanctioning and operating company that is best known for stock car racing. It is considered to be one of the top-ranked motorsports organizations in the world and is one of the largest spectator sports in America.
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