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By Mel Duvall
When the New England Patriots and the New York Giants take to field in Glendale, Ariz., this Super Bowl Sunday, millions of fans around the world will look satisfyingly on the brilliant green Alabama-grown turf, specially shipped in for the game.
What they won't realize is that the sod sits on an 18.9 million-pound tray that normally resides outside the stadium soaking up sunshine. On game days, it rolls back inside the stadium ready for action, complete with hash marks and team logos.
The roll-out grass field is a first for North American stadiums, but it's not the only technological marvel inside the University of Phoenix Stadium.
Hidden underneath the turf, for example, are more than 75 drop boxes, essentially plug-in locations for electric power and access to the stadium's sophisticated Internet Protocol (IP) network. When not being used as a football field, the drop boxes can used for conventions or to support a trade show.
The converged IP network handles all data, voice and video communication traffic throughout the stadium. It supports the underlying computer systems used to operate the stadium, from the point of sale terminals in refreshment stands through to environmental and safety control systems, and even the video replays on the jumbo screen. In addition, the network powers more than 800 IP-based Cisco touch-screen telephones installed in luxury lofts, some 700 high definition flat television screens installed throughout the stadium, and more than 100 wireless access points that lets fans play fantasy football from their seats via their laptops or PDAs.
And the network can grow on-demand.
The stadium features one of the largest deployments of air-blown fiber. Unlike traditional fiber-optic networks, where cables are laid with sufficient capacity to meet estimated current and future needs, air-blown fiber can be upgraded on demand. The University of Phoenix stadium uses FutureFlex fiber technology from Sumitomo Electric Lightwave of Research Triangle Park, N.C.
The technology addresses a difficult challenge faced by many IT departments: It is often difficult to forecast exactly how much capacity will be needed to run applications six months down the road, let alone six years.
But with its network technology, the $450 million stadium has raised the technology—as well as the sports entertainment—game.
"In the early stages of planning the stadium, a tremendous amount of collaboration and thought went into what was technologically possible," says Steven Kedzior, vice president of client solutions for Insight Enterprises, a Tempe, Ariz., company that served as the chief technology implementation partner on the project. "But it all came down to what would ultimately improve the fan experience. At the end of the day, that's how success is measured."
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