Cisco Demonstrates High-Tech Connectivity and Secure Networking for Super Bowl LX in Levi’s Stadium
At Levi's Stadium, host of Super Bowl LX, record-breaking viewership and over 70,000 fans in attendance relied on a powerful digital backbone.
The Super Bowl has always been more than just a championship game that gathers millions of fans each year to celebrate not only a sport but a cultural tradition. The viewership has increased dramatically from 1990 to 2024 to 127.7 million. The Super Bowl LX collectively couldn’t breach this number, but the second quarter saw a huge spike with 137.8 million viewers, the highest peak viewership in U.S. television history. Even the levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara saw 70,823 spectators. But behind all those screams, only a few could imagine the cutting-edge networking and connectivity that made everything possible.
When Levi’s Stadium was selected as the host for Super Bowl LX, the management demanded a high-tech network and connectivity, along with a security backbone to handle literally anything that could be thrown at it. They even replaced their existing sound system, LED screens, and all production systems. Despite having the world’s largest 4K video boards, they want to ensure seamless operation of everything that runs the stadium and everything that runs through it. And that is where CISCO joined forces with the NFL.
What Cisco Offers?
This is the fourth generation of their high-density offering for stadiums. It's got Wi-Fi 7, six gigahertz, but it's also the fourth generation of what can be called hyper-directional, which has enabled us to service fans securely and effectively at a distance. That used to be a challenge in Wi-Fi. All these challenges cannot even scare Anish Patel, director of stadium and wireless engineering for the NFL.
“In 2012, at the Super Bowl we had around 300 gigabytes total data uploaded, now we’re breaking 35 to 40 terabytes like it’s nothing,” Patel said.
Other Partnerships
Cisco’s role in the wider National Football League (NFL) is expected to keep growing, especially as the Super Bowl becomes more popular around the world. Right now, Cisco has official partnerships with several NFL teams and stadiums, including the New England Patriots, Miami Dolphins, Arizona Cardinals, Buffalo Bills, Las Vegas Raiders, Chicago Bears, and Carolina Panthers. Cisco also has a stadium partnership with AT&T Stadium.