New England Patriots kick off network upgrade

The longer-term roadmap with NWN includes a refresh of the stadium’s 1,800 Extreme Networks Wi-Fi 6 access points to either Wi-Fi 6E or 7, a refresh of the network’s 80 Cisco physical and virtual firewalls, followed by a network consolidation project.

On top of all that, the Kraft Group is seeking regulatory approval to build a new stadium for the New England Revolution soccer team in Everett, Mass., which is just north of Boston. If that project goes forward, Israel will be operating two sports facilities that are 25 miles apart.

Demand for bandwidth is on the rise

While the seating capacity of the stadium is fixed at roughly 65,000, the demand for network capacity is constantly increasing. On the customer side, Israel pointed out that younger fans are engaging with social media during events, posting photos and videos, putting additional strain on the Wi-Fi.

At a recent Taylor Swift concert, there were 10,000 people in the parking lot who didn’t have tickets but were there for a Tik-Tok challenge, which put an additional and unanticipated burden on the network, he said. Israel said expects the World Cup matches will draw similar levels of fan engagement, and he is working to beef up wireless connectivity in fan zones outside of the stadium.

On the business side, the underlying Cisco network needs to be able to handle all of the new bandwidth-hungry applications, from facial recognition technology at entry points, digital wallet transactions at concession stands, wireless point-of-sale systems that require split-second transaction processing, IPTV, plus an AI-driven video system that can detect if a concession stand is running low on inventory, enabling a quick restocking.

The enhanced fan experience:

Here are some of the key features that fans will be able to enjoy: