US telecommunications company Verizon has detailed its 5G plans for this weekend’s Super Bowl at Hard Rock Stadium as it seeks to enhance the fan experience at the NFL’s showpiece game.
Verizon said Sunday’s game between the Kansas City Chiefs and the San Francisco 49ers will mark the first time its customers will be able to access a commercial 5G ultra-wideband network with a commercially available 5G device inside the stadium during the Super Bowl.
Verizon has invested over $80m (£61.4m/€72.6m) to enhance its network to support the Super Bowl. The company said the permanent network enhancements would benefit Miami residents and visitors for years to come.
Verizon’s network will be accessible around the airports and in parts of Downtown, Miami’s Bayfront Park and Hard Rock Stadium, home of the Miami Dolphins.
Last Sunday, Verizon hosted a private, 5G-powered Pro Bowl viewing event in Miami, capturing live coverage of an 8K camera angle of the game to deliver a live stream of the feed to an audience in its 5G Stadium at Super Bowl Live zone. The event featured an immersive experience that transported viewers onto the Pro Bowl field while showcasing ways in which 5G can be used in the future.
Verizon entered into a two-year innovation partnership with the NFL in March 2019. In September, Verizon announced the 13 NFL stadia, among them Hard Rock Stadium, that had been fitted with its new 5G wireless service.
The announcement followed previous confirmation that Mercedes-Benz Stadium, home of the Atlanta Falcons, would feature 5G technology. Verizon later announced that the Buffalo Bills’ New Era Field would receive its 5G ultra-wideband service.
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