Rogers Centre invests $8M to upgrade 5G network ahead of Taylor Swift concerts
Posted October 17, 2024 6:00 am.
Last Updated October 17, 2024 10:49 am.
Ahead of Taylor Swift’s highly anticipated six-show run, Rogers has invested $8 million to add the latest 5G network equipment and upgrade the in-building system at Rogers Centre, improving coverage and increasing capacity.
“We are just finishing up this week, putting antennas into the roof pointing down to the field to give it really high performance,” shared CTO Mark Kennedy.
The upgraded network will be up to 40 per cent more energy efficient at delivering data and has three times more capacity for 5G throughout the stadium, equivalent to 33 cellular towers in downtown Toronto.
“So a normal cell tower in Toronto would maybe cover 2,000, maybe 3,000 people, inside the stadium, [there is] 55,000 people, so it really is a lot more density of people, so we have to put a lot more antennas in to connect to all those devices,” added Kennedy.
The installation started at the end of July, and concertgoers who attended the Pink performance in August saw download speeds twice as fast and upload speeds eight times faster than those who attended the concert in July.
The higher speeds will be necessary for Swift’s record-breaking Eras Tour. For her Arlington, Texas show, AT&T recorded the highest data usage for their stadium and the most traffic the network had ever carried for a stadium event.
Swift will be the first artist to perform a six-show stint at the downtown Toronto stadium. It will also mark her first Canadian tour dates since 2018.
The singer began her Eras Tour earlier last year, performing songs from her chart-topping career against the backdrop of an elaborate stage design for each album. Swift is currently touring in Europe.
Tickets for the event have been difficult to score, with the cheapest tickets available on resell sites going for upwards of $3,500 each.
The City of Toronto will also celebrate Swift by renaming the route along John Street and Queen Street West “Taylor Swift Way” throughout November.
An honourary sign to mark the concert venue as “1 Taylor Swift Way” will also be displayed. Rogers is also covering the costs of the signs.
