• Home
  • News
  • Fortune 500
  • Tech
  • Finance
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia
Tech

Which NFL Stadiums Will Get 5G Connections Next

By
Aaron Pressman
Aaron Pressman
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Aaron Pressman
Aaron Pressman
Down Arrow Button Icon
September 5, 2019, 11:10 AM ET

Verizon continued to expand its super-fast 5G wireless network to more locations, on Thursday announcing a deal with the National Football League to add coverage in 13 out of 31 stadiums starting this weekend.

Fans who attend games in one of the 13 stadiums, such as Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis and M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore, will still need to have a 5G compatible phone to access the 5G networks, which can download data 10 to 100 times faster than the average 4G LTE connection. Verizon said it would add demonstration areas in the stadiums, as well, to let fans experience the speed firsthand. (See the full list of stadiums below.)

The limited addition to the carrier’s 5G reach comes as the wireless industry is racing to roll out 5G coverage, but it will take several years and tens of billions of dollars before the networks come close to reaching as many people as today’s 4G LTE systems. And customers will have to buy 5G compatible phones to use the networks, but only a handful of rather expensive models available so far. Apple, which has almost half the U.S. smartphone market, isn’t expected to start selling a 5G iPhone model for at least another year.

Verizon currently only offers 5G in small parts of 10 cities, such as Chicago and Phoenix, with a goal of reaching more than 30 cities by year end and covering half of the U.S. population by the end of 2020. In the meantime, it’s adding coverage in popular venues like NFL stadiums, or transportation hubs, like in its deal with Boingo Wireless announced last month.

“Our strategy with the initial launch of 5G has been to bring it to public places where lots of people gather, so that’s why we started in dense urban areas,” Heidi Hemmer, vice president of technology at Verizon, tells Fortune. “The stadiums play perfectly into that, as well.”

The stadiums already all have 4G coverage and Wi-Fi. But the addition of 5G will allow more devices to connect and reduce delays as fans in attendance watch video, often from other NFL games, on their phones. That’s important to those playing fantasy football and increasingly valued as legalized sports betting spreads.

“It’s a constant battle on the connectivity front at every stadium,” Michelle McKenna, the NFL’s chief information officer, says. “The more bandwidth and speed that we’ve offered through LTE networks and Wi-Fi, the fans gobbled it all up. Whatever you provide, that’s what they’ll use. Of course, we are always looking for what will keep us ahead of that curve.”

The list of 13 football stadiums includes several venues in cities beyond where Verizon’s limited 5G service is offered so far, such as MetLife Stadium near New York City, home to the New York Giants and New York Jets, and CenturyLink Field, home of the Seattle Seahawks–and also Verizon rival T-Mobile. The list of 13 doesn’t include AT&T Field in Dallas, sponsored by one of Verizon’s chief rivals. AT&T added its 5G network there in January.

The NFL has been a longtime partner of Verizon, which had exclusive mobile rights to games until 2018 and still has non-exclusive rights. Verizon also struck a partnership with the league back in March to develop some 5G offerings jointly.

Full list of stadiums getting Verizon 5G coverage:

Bank of America Stadium (Carolina Panthers)
Empower Field at Mile High (Denver Broncos)
CenturyLink Field (Seattle Seahawks)
Ford Field (Detroit Lions)
Gillette Stadium (New England Patriots)
Hard Rock Stadium (Miami Dolphins)
Lucas Oil Stadium (Indianapolis Colts)
MetLife Stadium (New York Giants and New York Jets)
M&T Bank Stadium (Baltimore Ravens)
NRG Stadium (Houston Texans)
Soldier Field (Chicago Bears)
U.S. Bank Stadium (Minnesota Vikings)

More must-read stories from Fortune:

—Android 10’s 7 most anticipated new features
—This new app puts deepfake technology in the hands of a mainstream audience
—Google hit with a record fine by the FTC for violating children’s privacy on YouTube
—A U.K court may have made police use of facial recognition easier
—Porsche unveils its first-ever electric car
Catch up withData Sheet, Fortune’s daily digest on the business of tech.

About the Author
By Aaron Pressman
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon

Latest in Tech

Big TechStreaming
Trump warns Netflix-Warner deal may pose antitrust ‘problem’
By Hadriana Lowenkron, Se Young Lee and BloombergDecember 7, 2025
7 hours ago
Big TechOpenAI
OpenAI goes from stock market savior to burden as AI risks mount
By Ryan Vlastelica and BloombergDecember 7, 2025
7 hours ago
AIData centers
HP’s chief commercial officer predicts the future will include AI-powered PCs that don’t share data in the cloud
By Nicholas GordonDecember 7, 2025
9 hours ago
Future of WorkJamie Dimon
Jamie Dimon says even though AI will eliminate some jobs ‘maybe one day we’ll be working less hard but having wonderful lives’
By Jason MaDecember 7, 2025
13 hours ago
CryptoCryptocurrency
So much of crypto is not even real—but that’s starting to change
By Pete Najarian and Joe BruzzesiDecember 7, 2025
18 hours ago
Elon Musk
Big TechSpaceX
SpaceX to offer insider shares at record-setting $800 billion valuation
By Edward Ludlow, Loren Grush, Lizette Chapman, Eric Johnson and BloombergDecember 6, 2025
1 day ago

Most Popular

placeholder alt text
Real Estate
The 'Great Housing Reset' is coming: Income growth will outpace home-price growth in 2026, Redfin forecasts
By Nino PaoliDecember 6, 2025
2 days ago
placeholder alt text
AI
Nvidia CEO says data centers take about 3 years to construct in the U.S., while in China 'they can build a hospital in a weekend'
By Nino PaoliDecember 6, 2025
2 days ago
placeholder alt text
Economy
The most likely solution to the U.S. debt crisis is severe austerity triggered by a fiscal calamity, former White House economic adviser says
By Jason MaDecember 6, 2025
1 day ago
placeholder alt text
Economy
JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon says Europe has a 'real problem’
By Katherine Chiglinsky and BloombergDecember 6, 2025
1 day ago
placeholder alt text
Big Tech
Mark Zuckerberg rebranded Facebook for the metaverse. Four years and $70 billion in losses later, he’s moving on
By Eva RoytburgDecember 5, 2025
3 days ago
placeholder alt text
Politics
Supreme Court to reconsider a 90-year-old unanimous ruling that limits presidential power on removing heads of independent agencies
By Mark Sherman and The Associated PressDecember 7, 2025
15 hours ago
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • Future 50
  • World’s Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
Sections
  • Finance
  • Leadership
  • Success
  • Tech
  • Asia
  • Europe
  • Environment
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Health
  • Retail
  • Lifestyle
  • Politics
  • Newsletters
  • Magazine
  • Features
  • Commentary
  • Mpw
  • CEO Initiative
  • Conferences
  • Personal Finance
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
About Us
  • About Us
  • Editorial Calendar
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Diversity And Inclusion
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map

© 2025 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.