On Sunday I was at the Jacksonville Jaguars home opener. I used to be a Vikings fan but now I traded in my purple and gold for the black and teal. Guess I am just a glutton for punishment. At the game, all the refreshment vendors that walk the stadium could only accept orders on the stadium’s proprietary app. In other words, no credit card or cash could be accepted. Evidently, this is a new process because all the bugs were not worked out. 

Problem 1: Low bandwidth prevented people from accessing the App Store to download the App.

Problem 2: If you did manage to have the app, it hung up due to latency issues.

Problem 3: The poor vendors had to try and be IT professionals and assist people in downloading the app, loading their credit card into the app and then process the order. So the people that actually ordered a drink had to wait to get their beverage.

Problem 4: Because people could not purchase beverages from their seat, the concession stands had lines that took 15 minutes to get through. 

You simply cannot do a lot with two reception bars on your phone. At $12 a drink, imagine the amount of lost revenue at this game. This lack of fiber and fast connections will become more of a problem as we start to see these “online only” purchase apps proliferate. Software that is supposed to make our lives easier is impossible to use without proper coverage. Next generation wireless networks require fiber connectivity. For the best consumer experience, these venues need fiber plant installed before remotes can be activated. Clearfield has enabled many wireless networks by providing fiber connectivity for large venues--major airports, Superbowl stadiums, MLB ballparks and NBA arenas. Clearfield’s products scale from a small office building to large arenas. Our unique building block approach simplifies the design and construction of a fiber backbone project for wireless. 

The goal is to have a ubiquitous 5G network that will reduce bottlenecks and frustrations like this. Clearfield’s plug-and-play technology can create a fiber network in virtually any venue without the need for fiber splicing. These products will allow 5G networks to be installed faster and with less capital investment. Hope they do it at my home stadium soon because I was thirsty at that game! 

By Tom Warren

For about 20 years, Tom Warren has worked with Clearfield in the engineering world of telecommunications. As a Clearfield Sales Engineer, Tom provides support to carrier customers and OEMs. Tom’s expertise includes in-depth knowledge of WDMs, FTTx, Small Cell and DAS Fiber applications.