The Wells Fargo Center, home of the Philadelphia Flyers and Philadelphia 76ers, and Canada Life Centre, home of the Winnipeg Jets, have enlisted provider Extreme Networks to deliver high-speed, high-capacity, low latency connectivity for fans and club officials.
Extreme is the official Wi-Fi analytics provider and an official partner of the NHL, and the deployment at the Wells Fargo Center will be completed in partnership with Comcast Business.
The facts
Almost 800 Wi-Fi 6 and Wi-Fi 6E access points (APs), in addition to Extreme Universal Switches, are deployed across the Flyers and Jets arenas. For arena operations teams, improved Wi-Fi will enable better connectivity for ticket scanners, portable card readers, staff communications, security cameras and help detect location-based information like the flow of foot traffic.
Because Extreme is the Official Wi-Fi Analytics Provider of the NHL, the Flyers and Jets will have access to ExtremeAnalytics, enabling them to quickly organise and leverage network usage data around popular applications, high-traffic areas in the arena and moments of peak user activity.
It provides insights into network performance and potential issues and allows customers to pinpoint Wi-Fi performance and usage trends across the arena. These insights help NHL clubs to make decisions around what areas in the venue may require more staff, which applications may be beneficial for future marketing partnerships and what types of between-play programming to prioritise to increase fan engagement.
Technology-reliant amenities like mobile tickets and self-serve checkouts are quickly becoming more common, and venues have begun to look at adopting new technology such as biometrics, AR and VR and in-seat mobile concessions.
Executive perspectives
Dan Gill, IT Director, True North Sports & Entertainment, Winnipeg Jets, said of the deployment, “ Extreme Wi-Fi 6E will become a backbone to our operations and provide us the bandwidth and performance we need to ensure that all of our current and future technology initiatives are impactful and memorable.
North added, “We’re also excited about the potential of analytics to better operationalise insights associated with fan preferences to identify operational efficiencies and new revenue opportunities.”
“The Wells Fargo Center and Jets are taking a huge leap forward by investing in Extreme Wi-Fi 6 and 6E to enhance the way fans experience the game,” commented Ed Meyercord, President and Chief Executive Officer, Extreme Networks, adding, The network is not just about connectivity, it’s the critical enabler of new technology, safety and security, innovation and immersive fan engagement.”
