AMES — Every game day, Jack Trice Stadium is filled with fans of all ages. People dress well, pose for photos and more importantly; share them on social media. In its partnership with Iowa State, Verizon Wireless has made some improvements to allow for faster speeds, network improvements and adaptability.
Verizon has been partnered with the Cyclones since 2014. Its network plays a crucial behind-the-scenes role in connectivity, streaming and cellular coverage.
“Fans like to stay in touch,” Matt Bennett, Verizon’s associate director of radio frequency and performance, said. “My team has done a phenomenal job optimizing and delivering an improved fan experience.”
Verizon’s influence is not only strictly limited to Iowa State. The network provides coverage for the Big 12, NFL and other significant sports platforms outside of Iowa State.
“When you have a large number of people, it can be hard to deliver quality service,” Bennett said. “Our improvement allows customers to get the Verizon experience we’ve been known to provide.”
On Oct. 19, Iowa State hosted the University of Central Florida in a 38-35 Cyclones victory. Over the course of the game, Verizon customers used 2.83 terabytes of data, which was more than 20 percent more than the previous home game. A statement from Verizon compared the amount of data to 39 days of nonstop football, 314 full-length football games in high-definition and digitalizing the playbooks of every NFL team 10,000 times over.
“We work with almost every stadium across the country,” Bennett said. “Fans that use Verizon are able to immerse themselves in the action rather than just watching what’s happening on the field.”
At Iowa State, Verizon plays a role in everything from wireless connection to video quality. The network provider recently installed 15 small cell C-Band 5GHz connections in the gameday lots surrounding Jack Trice Stadium and Hilton Coliseum.
“You’ll see people tailgating and streaming up to four or five games on one television,” Bennett said. “Two or three years ago, that would not have been possible. The fan experience has been expanded, and we expect the growth to continue in the years to come.”
The new antennas are not solely beneficial to Iowa State fans. The university’s information technology department also reaps the benefits of higher speeds.
“It’s been a great improvement over the past years,” Iowa State Chief Technology Officer Mike Lohrbach said. “We’ve gotten a lot of positive feedback from our fans, and we’re happy with the partnership and technology upgrades.”
Most of Verizon’s work outside of gameday is tested on a regular basis. Lohrbach’s team is partially responsible for the system’s upkeep and smooth operations on gameday.
“We have people from our team here during games that monitor the connectivity,” Lohrbach said. “Plenty of fans within our department have compared previous years and this season, and they all praise Verizon’s improvements.”
As new technology continues to roll out, Verizon is committed to delivering higher speeds and an exciting experience for fans. The hope is that the network’s improvements will continue to benefit the university and ensure that fans can access social media and other sporting events throughout the game.
