INTELLIGENT TECHNOLOGY: CONNECTIVITY

The University of Notre Dame becomes the first higher education stadium to bring Wi-Fi 6E outdoors, partnering with HPE Aruba Networking and Federated Wireless to deliver game-changing connectivity and pilot private 5G for future innovations.

With 1,100 indoor and outdoor access points, Notre Dame Stadium supports ticketless entry, contactless concessions, augmented reality, real-time stats from Fighting Irish Media, and live video chat. The stadium also serves as a research hub for the Wireless Institute, focusing on IoT, extended reality, and AI.

of the University of Notre Dame’ s Fighting Irish football team. This milestone makes it the first higher education stadium to deploy the Federal Communications Commission’ s newly approved 6 GHz spectrum outdoors.

Part of a multi-phase, wireless-first initiative, the project brings Wi-Fi 6E to indoor and outdoor spaces across campus. It also includes a private 5G( P5G) pilot with the Notre Dame Wireless Institute to explore improved cellular experiences for users and devices.

With up to 90 % of its 13,000 students expected to use at least one Wi-Fi 6E device by August 2025, Notre Dame is rolling out high-performance wireless across its 1,265 – acre, 190 – building campus. The deployment preview began at Notre Dame Stadium, where, during the final playoff game on December 20, 2024, Wi-Fi traffic peaked at more than 26 Gbps – nearly triple the previous record – despite subzero temperatures.

“ Given the accelerating expectations of our campus community and Fighting Irish fans for mobility, AI, and IoT-enabled experiences, Wi-Fi 6E enables us to anticipate the future and say‘ yes’ to innovations we couldn’ t support before,” said John Buysse, Senior Director of University Network and Telephony Services at Notre Dame.“ We believe there are advantages indoors and outdoors for deploying P5G as a complementary technology and look forward to the findings from our pilot.”

Larry Lunetta, vice president of AI, Security and Networking Product Marketing at HPE Aruba Networking, said,“ With the opening of the 6 GHz band, modern Wi-Fi networks can now fully deliver on their potential to support AI and IoT-driven innovations. Notre Dame’ s students, faculty, and fans can expect secure, seamless, high-performance connectivity for both current and future applications.”

The project, the largest Wi-Fi 6E deployment to date, was completed in collaboration with Federated Wireless, which provided Automated Frequency Coordination( AFC) technology. This breakthrough enables multiple users to operate in the 6 GHz band outdoors without interference, increasing Wi-Fi power by 60x, expanding coverage by 20x, and doubling capacity.

“ Deep collaboration with HPE ensured seamless integration of Wi-Fi 6E at Notre Dame Stadium, delivering frictionless performance and reliability,” said Kurt Schaubach, Chief Technology Officer at Federated Wireless.“ By elevating shared spectrum to rival licensed spectrum, we’ re enabling enterprises to unlock new business models and accelerate innovation.”

Notre Dame plans to continue expanding Wi-Fi 6E across campus, leveraging HPE Aruba Networking Central, CX Switches, and location-based services to deliver efficient, scalable connectivity. Buysse added,“ HPE gives us a strategic, collaborative relationship that helps us anticipate what’ s next. Being just a vendor, like our legacy provider, is no longer enough for higher education.” p

28 INTELLIGENTCIO NORTH AMERICA www. intelligentcio. com