Verizon Upgraded Its 5G Network Ahead Of The Big Game
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We’re just a few days out from Super Bowl LVII, and while millions will be watching from around the globe, there will also be thousands descending upon Phoenix, AZ—both in the downtown area and the immediate area around State Farm Stadium. All eyes will be watching the Philadelphia Eagles play against the Kansas City Chiefs for the highest achievement in the NFL.
These teams have been working the whole season to make it this far, but for wireless carriers like Verizon, AT&T and T-Mobile, they’ve been working years towards this point. All in an effort to ensure that for those lucky fans in the stadium and all the folks in the area, have a network that they can rely on.
Back in 2022, I had the chance to check out Verizon’s improvements on the ground at State Farm Stadium which began over two years ago. Specifically, improving and amping up the 5G network—as well as 4G LTE—to support the massive demand that is expected from a bevy of connected devices.
Let’s unpack the setup at State Farm Stadium as well as how Verizon is replicating this around the United States at other stadiums and arenas.
Starts With Antennas
In order for your smartphone--be it an iPhone or a Samsung Galaxy--to get connected, an antenna needs to be in the area to make it happen. This way you can make calls or browse the web and in a huge stadium with tons of users in one area, there needs to be a plethora of antennas. There is of course 4G LTE and 5G connections, but with the latter there are a few flavors. In the United States the three most prominent are Sub-6, mmWave (which deliver the super fast speeds) and C-Band.
Inside State Farm Stadium, Verizon rolled out and added a bunch of antennas, including nearly 500 5G nodes (aka antennas). These are found throughout the stadium in specific spots that Verizon’s team of engineers identified to get the most coverage. This way if you’re in the nose bleeds, getting concessions or on the 50-yard line, the hope is to keep you covered.
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The most visible antennas will be the eight masting ball style 5G antennas, which use beam forming to push out speedy mmWave and C-Band coverage. These are hung from the rafters over the 50-yard line as well as the end zones. When in the sight line for these, I saw some of the fastest network tests throughout the whole stadium. These will be key for keeping fans connected throughout the stadium.
Additionally, Verizon installed other 5G nodes throughout State Farm Stadium, many of which are hung and positioned above the seats to provide connection for folks sitting in the lower and upper bowls. Many of these resemble the typical 5G antennas you might see on fake trees or network pools throughout cities, sitting as white rectangular boxes.
Verizon shared that they expect over half of the crowd to be on their network and that about half of that pool will have a smartphone that connects to 5G. Still though, there is a need for 4G LTE connectivity which can sit as a backbone or even a redundancy. To that end, if you’re at State Farm Stadium for the big game or are attending another event at some point, maybe Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour, you might notice boxes under your seat.
The carrier has installed 1400 4G and 5G under seat antennas that support both network flavors. These will likely be critical for keeping those folks connected who are in seats across the stadium. In my testing, while these didn’t offer absurdly wild mmWave speeds, the C-Band 5G was still well over 1Gbps which certainly bests the free Wi-Fi that State Farm Stadium delivers.
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Given the array of antennas that Verizon has opted for at State Farm Stadium, it aims to blanket a range of connectivity options for both 5G and 4G connected devices. This way whether you’re grabbing a beer or trying to upload an Instagram story, you’ll be able to get that through.
I had the chance to both test the network with the stadium empty, as well as during a Monday night game. Speeds were slower during the game itself, but I still managed to pull close to a 1Gbps down when connected to one of the under-seat antenna stacks.
Keeping An Eye On Network Performance
While I was enjoying the game and testing the network, Verizon has a team of engineers both on-site at State Farm Stadium and at a Command Center in Phoenix that are watching the network. Monitoring traffic both in and out, the devices connected to each specific node in the arena, and optimizing it for the best possible performance.
The Command Center is key to this as it can be the central operation space or rather the brain of the network. Allowing Verizon to spot issues as they arise, and at times before they even occur. The engineers have total control over the network in order to fix problems quickly. There is even a backup location, should the main one go down. And while we’re focused on the upcoming game, this Command Center will be used over the next year for the game in Las Vegas.
Verizon will also be learning before, during, and after the game to better optimize the network and prepare for the next big event.
What Does This Enable?
So yes, Verizon rolled out a bunch of equipment to ensure a stable network, but ideally what the end result should be is that anyone can use their smartphone as they should want too. Whether it’s to scroll real-time commentary on a social site, scroll through TikTok or make your own video, chat with family or friends and load the web in a timely manner.
For Super Bowl LVI at SoFi Stadium in California, Verizon customers used 30.4TB of data on game day. Safe to say that’s a literal ton and with more folks in the stands, likely with newer phones, it’s safe to say that data consumed will be higher. That was a 20% increase over data used in 2021, so I’d be expecting a similar jump.
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It makes sense that Verizon is committed to this type of investment year after year, as the network is the main source of value. It’s what customers on their plans are really paying for and ensuring that it works is key. All four of Verizon’s Unlimited Plans offer access to the nationwide 5G network, which while is a bit slower does provide more bandwidth over 4G LTE.
Those on 5G Do More, 5G Play More or 5G Get More will have access to the faster, ultra wide network which delivers those wild speeds. Chances are if you’ll be on the ground at State Farm Stadium, that’s the network you’ll want to have access too.
- Verizon 5G Start: Starting at $60 a month with promotions for one line.
- Verizon 5G Do More: Starting at $66.11 a month with promotions for one line.
- Verizon 5G Play More: Starting at $66.11 a month with promotions for one line.
- Verizon 5G Get More: Starting at $76.11 a month with promotions for one line.
Verizon didn’t only give this antenna and network treatment to State Farm Stadium and So-Fi Stadium. They currently offer this network experience in 26 NFL stadiums and over 100 arenas across the United States. The hope is that this improves the fan experience for those there regardless of the event and really shows off the potential of the network.
And given how Verizon preps early, starting over two years before this big game, it’s likely that they’re already planning for games as far as 2026.
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