5G and a Falcons Fan

Posted by Karen Smith

All My Rowdy Friends

Recently, I had tickets to Monday Night Football in Atlanta but was uncertain I could handle a late night game on a “school night.” I’ve become a super fan since the Falcons built the best venue in the NFL. On the fence, I decided to go. I was immediately swept up by the Atlanta fans eagerly entering the stadium. There is nothing like a rowdy Monday night crowd.

Mercedes Benz Stadium
Caption: The $1.5 billion Mercedes-Benz Stadium is the most technologically advanced in the world and home of the Atlanta Falcons and Atlanta United. Photo courtesy of HHRM / Aerial Innovations.

Engineered Like No Other Stadium in the World 

The Mercedes-Benz Stadium’s innovative design is the first of its kind for the NFL. If you have claustrophobia, this venue is for you. The retractable roof is amazing and it actually opens up in seven minutes!  It gets the most press yet the halo video board grabs your attention and you cannot keep your eyes off it.  As tall as a five story building, it has the largest LED video screen in North America. The fans and the staff are happy to be there. Hands down…Atlanta has the best venue in the NFL.

Gimme Fiber!

The technology behind the scenes at the stadium was planned to foster the best fan experience now and into the future. The Stadium Network Team deployed more than 4,000 miles of fiber optic cable and more than 1,000 under-seat Wi-Fi access points to power the network and the integrated systems. Everyone in the stadium is connected…and we’re talking terabytes of data. As today (November 4) is “Gimme Fiber” Day, it is only fitting to give credit to the fiber transport that carries all this traffic. The Fiber Broadband Association plans a series of activities all over the world today to highlight the role of fiber deployment in modernizing our communities and events like these. The design and construction of fiber networks has made a major impact on everyone. Building a robust fiber foundation–whether for a sports venue or a community–connects everything today and enables future-proofing as technology evolves and data use continues to climb.

Cyient Gimme Fiber
Photo courtesy of the Cyient Fiber Design & Engineering Team.

Super Bowl LIII and the Race for 5G

The next generation in wireless technology networks is 5G. What is it and why do we care? The drivers for the upgrade are increased capacity, faster speeds, and a much better user experience. Let’s face it, we want more content and we want it now. Whether integrating mobile with augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR), or the Internet of Things (IoT), the technology is now at our fingertips. As we turn our hottest ideas into the latest apps, we place more and more stress on the existing infrastructure. Atlanta is among the first markets slated to get 5G, but it’s still in the lab and today’s smart phones won’t support it. Phones and tablets to support 5G won’t hit the market until early 2019. But the major carriers are racing to deliver the network and the integrated devices that support 5G in time for the 2019 Super Bowl (in Atlanta) So grab your phone, book your flights, and purchase your Super Bowl tickets now! Get ready for AR, IR, and IoT because the future of 5G is now.

 

 

Chris Kelly is the CEO and Co-founder of Clearion, a global software company providing inspection and maintenance management solutions for the utility and transportation industries. During his 25-year career, Chris has developed deep expertise at the intersection of field operations, geospatial technology, and sustainability initiatives. In addition to his role at Clearion, Chris serves on the board of the Olmsted Linear Park Alliance, The Ray Advisory Council, and coaches high school golf in his hometown of Atlanta, GA.