So the bottom line is - AT&T isn’t going to simply pay for a Wi-Fi network in your stadium. In the case of that deal, Townes said networks would be built to “support the value of our brand” in those stadiums. From what we’ve heard and read the deal involves a lot of stadium-intensive content agreements, so to make it all run right, AT&T wants to build the networks itself. OK, but then what about the recent deal AT&T signed with the Pac-12, which called for DAS builds in all conference stadiums, but may also call for AT&T to build… stadium Wi-Fi networks?Īgain, it’s all about the economics, which in the Pac-12 case involved a big content carriage deal between the conference and AT&T’s home Internet and video service, U-verse. Traffic that leaves the stadium, to connect fans to the outside Internet, is of interest to AT&T since it is something the company can make money on, by providing the service to customers. AT&T is more interested in building and paying for DAS, or distributed antenna systems, which bring better cellular connectivity for fans at stadiums.
Since stadium Wi-Fi is or will be mainly used for high-bandwidth apps like video replays, it will generate wireless traffic that “doesn’t leave the stadium,” Townes said. It also was the home of the Florida Marlins from 1993-2011 and the Florida Atlantic University Owls from 2001-2002. It has been the home of the Miami Dolphins since 1989 and the University of Miami Hurricanes since 2008. “Our position on Wi-Fi remains clear,” Townes said - mainly, that AT&T isn’t going to fully fund a network that it doesn’t reap benefits from. Sun Life Stadium is a football stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida. The Wi-Fi at Sun Life, Townes said, was built via a model AT&T was comfortable with - mainly, it was a financial model where the team and venue participated in the deployment costs. So why was AT&T building Wi-Fi at Sun Life? This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC. Ask TravelDivaDonna about Sun Life Stadium. This has become our annual event in Miam. At SEAT, Townes made one of the bolder statements of the gathering, proclaiming that AT&T wasn’t going to fund stadium Wi-Fi developments anymore. Sun Life Stadium is a great place for this event, parking was easy check in no problems. A quick phone chat with Chad Townes, VP of AT&T’s antenna solutions group, set us straight: Turns out that AT&T had installed a Wi-Fi network alongside the DAS, but hadn’t planned to turn it up until the NFL season started.įor those of us who were lucky enough to be at the SEAT Conference in August, however, the questions couldn’t stop there. The Miami Dolphins (NFL) outlined stadium changes this week. It is owned by Stephen Rose and Wayne Huizenga and operated by the Miami Dolphins. It was over-hauled in 2007 at a cost of 250 million. This stadium located in north Miami-Dade county was constructed with a cost of 115 million and opened on August 16, 1987.
We knew that AT&T had put in a new DAS at Miami’s Sun Life Stadium earlier this year, so we were a bit surprised when we saw the Dolphins announce a new Wi-Fi network for their season opener a couple Sundays ago. Proposed Sun Life Stadium renovations would install a canopy over the seating and remove 10,000 poorly situated seats with bar terraces and SRO spaces. The Sun Life Stadium is a sport and recreational stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida.