Comcast Business (NASDAQ:CMCSA) is enabling the Kraft Group, the holding company of the Kraft family's many businesses, including the New England Patriots, to increase connectivity by 10-fold with speeds up to 1 Gbps. Comcast will also provide X1 for Business in all 88 luxury suites at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, MA, along with video service on more than 1,000 other HDTVs throughout the complex.
Through the agreement, Comcast business services will power Internet access for the Kraft Group organization's employees and host the New England Patriots' digital infrastructure. The organization will have access to cloud-based storage and applications as well as Ethernet Dedicated Internet (EDI) services.
"The New England Patriots are dedicated to providing a world-class experience for our fans - both inside and outside of Gillette Stadium," said Murray Kohl, vice president of sales for the Kraft Group. "Our employees who connect our fans to the team will be able to do even more with the dedicated 1 Gig connections which are up to 10 times faster speeds than our legacy provider was able to handle for us. Comcast Business has already proven to be a reliable partner by establishing Gig-speed connectivity when the team visited Atlanta for the championship game earlier this year."
Gillette Stadium will also be one of the first arenas in the country to have all of the flat screen TVs in the luxury suites equipped with X1 for Business. X1 for Business also allows viewers to watch a program and pull up a sports content companion called the X1 Sports App so they can see team and player profiles, statistics and real-time, game-specific data at the same time.
Comcast Business also provides services and solutions for the Boston Red Sox, Boston Celtics and other major stadiums throughout the United States.
"Leading sports franchises like the Patriots have high expectations for seamless connectivity every day, not just game days," said Barry Bader, vice president of Comcast Business in the Greater Boston Region. "Comcast Business is actively redefining the experience at stadiums across the country - and this agreement with the Kraft Group will support the organization's vision for a world-class experience rooted in connectivity and convenience."
WiFi over water
In other Comcast news, the company announced the results of a new Xfinity survey that indicates 31% of adults who are likely to move in the next year say it would be more difficult to live without Internet for two days after a move than to live without water (69%). Other findings indicate:
- 64% of parents who are likely to move in the next year think their children would unpack their devices before their bedding after a move.
- 57% of Millennials prefer to handle their move digitally.
- 55% of Americans surveyed said important documents (64%) and their cell phone (55%) were among the two most essential items to have during a move.
- 19% of respondents would prefer to get a root canal than spend the day moving, and 47% would rather spend an hour on a flight with a crying baby.
