Better connectivity is on the way for Alabama football and Alabama basketball fans next year.
The physical properties committee for the University of Alabama System Board of Trustees met Thursday and approved the instillation of equipment to expand and enhance Wi-Fi networks at Bryant-Denny Stadium and Coleman Coliseum next year. Now, the full board will officially vote Friday.
It would be installed prior to the 2025 football season and 2025-26 basketball season.
“The department of athletics is seeking a world-class, high performance network capable of supporting the wireless connectivity demands of its athletic venues as well as the many other network components needed within the venues, including its broadcast and audio-visual operations,” the resolution read.
There will be 140 network switches and just under 2,000 wireless access points in Bryant-Denny Stadium and Coleman Coliseum.
The budget for the project is $13.3 million, and the Crimson Tide Foundation will fund it.
“That is the primary goal of this, to enhance the fan experience,” Alabama athletics CFO Kyle Vasey said. “There are multitude of benefits of this Wi-Fi network. The first is connectivity to enhance the ability to enhance the ability to call and text people within the stadium. Beyond that, there are additional operational benefits to our overall gameday experience. Some of those include ingress into the stadium and the ability to get in more smoothly for our fans. Also there are additional security features that provide a safer environment for our fans. Additionally, there are some benefits related to congestion of concessions and restrooms that we hope to be able to ingest to our fans to allow them to be able to go to the least occupied areas to be able to provide a better experience overall.”
Nick Kelly is an Alabama beat writer for AL.com and the Alabama Media Group. Follow him on X and Instagram.
