Features

University of Florida boosts connectivity at The Swamp

The athletics division of the University of Florida has detailed an upgrade project for its Ben Hill Griffin Stadium which will introduce high-density Wi-Fi at the venue.

Commonly known as The Swamp, the 88,500-seat stadium is the home of the university’s American football team and the new system is set to be in place for 2019.

The $6.3m (£4.9m/€5.5m) project, which is being developed in partnership with Extreme Networks and Verizon Business Markets, began in July with conduit, wiring and under seat enclosures that will house more than 1,100 wireless access points throughout the seating bowl.

“We’ve had a variety of upgrades to our connectivity systems over the years, but this will truly be a game-changing experience for our fans,” athletic director Scott Stricklin said. “We are making a significant commitment so that fans will be able to enjoy the game and stay connected with their friends and share all of the great experiences that come with being at The Swamp on a Saturday.”

Fans may occasionally experience active Wi-Fi during the installation, tuning and testing of the system in 2018, before the system is fully operational for 2019.

Extreme is the official Wi-Fi and Wi-Fi analytics provider of the National Football League, including 11 NFL venues using its stadium Wi-Fi technology and an additional 17 teams using its Wi-Fi analytics technology.

Image: University of Florida