Notre Dame has totally adopted cellular ticketing and launched grab-and-go concession stands, with plans to increase them additional. Alcohol gross sales have been not too long ago permitted, prompting efforts to help new providers like cellular carts. In premium areas, followers can stream varied video games throughout occasions. Notre Dame additionally examined cellular ordering for concessions with pickup alerts.
As they are saying in infomercials, “however wait, there’s extra…” The college is regularly exploring new methods to make the in-person expertise even higher. For instance, it’s going to supply unique digital camera angles and real-time stats, solely accessible by way of Wi-Fi on the stadium. It’s all a part of an effort to provide followers one thing they will’t get watching at house. (See additionally: AI commentary goes into full swing at Gamers Championship)
“One of many challenges numerous lot of sports activities venues face is getting individuals to pay to come back to the sport, once they can sit at house with their massive TV and have an analogous expertise from the consolation of their sofa,” stated Buysse.
Behind the scenes, the stadium has additionally grow to be a testing floor for superior tech, in partnership with Federated Wi-fi and Notre Dame’s personal Wi-fi Institute. Federated Wi-fi helped the college handle the challenges of utilizing the brand new 6 GHz Wi-Fi band open air. Usually, too many units utilizing the identical sign may cause interference. Federated Wi-fi’ cloud-based system, Automated Frequency Coordination (AFC), prevents interference by organizing how completely different units share the sign. Consequently, the stadium’s Wi-Fi is now stronger, covers extra floor, and might deal with extra individuals directly.
In the meantime, the Wi-fi Institute is piloting a personal 5G community to see how connectivity could be improved for each college students and units throughout campus. Whereas personal 5G isn’t coming this yr, Buysse stated the college can be “transitioning back-of-house communications” to make sure that vital providers, comparable to campus public security, all the time keep linked no matter how busy the community will get.
For now, Notre Dame directs everybody to Wi-Fi as a result of the stadium’s mobile community is outdated and struggles to maintain up with demand. Though enhancements to mobile service are being made, progress has been gradual as a result of varied challenges. Particularly, mobile carriers wish to set up gear within the bowl of the stadium, however the venue’s construction makes that tough with out impacting the aesthetic.