Rogers spends $8 million upping capacity at Toronto stadium; TTC work remains underway

Rogers Communications Inc. says it has increased the 5G network capacity at the Rogers Centre stadium in Toronto threefold. Rogers said in a news release it has spent $8 million installing new equipment and infrastructure at the stadium ahead of popstar Taylor Swift’s appearance in Toronto for six sold-out shows in November. The company said it has upped its capacity three times over throughout the stadium – “equivalent to what would traditionally be covered by 33 towers in downtown Toronto” – including by lifting and installing antennas near the top of the Rogers Centre’s 86-metre-high roof, “to bring fans with floor seats the same 5G network experience as those in stadium seats for the first time.” “Taylor fans use record amounts of data to livestream as well as share videos and photos from her shows, and this investment will ensure they have the best experience,” said Rogers’ chief technology officer Mark Kennedy in the press release. Swift’s six-concert run in Toronto is expected to bring more than $282 million in “economic impact” for Toronto, CBC reports. Rogers noted that during one show at Wembley Stadium near London, England, Swift’s fans consumed a record 5.58 terabytes of mobile data at the stadium. “That’s enough to stream her entire music catalog 4,500 times, which would take a decade,” Rogers said. It cited 15 an average terabytes of data per night at her concerts in Melbourne, Australia, earlier this year, and a “staggering” 28.9 terabytes of data consumed during the busiest day of Swift’s three-day tour stop in Arlington, Texas. “To put that into perspective, if fans shared 200,000 photos or 400 hours of video, that would only chew up 1 TB of data,” Rogers said. TTC network upgrades still underway Rogers announced it began the next phase of constructing its cellular network in the remaining underground tunnels of the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) subway system in Toronto in May. The project that began this past spring involves expanding Rogers’ network in phases to connect the remaining 36 kilometres of unconnected tunnels. Once finished, mobile voice and data services will be available in all 75 stations and tunnels across the TTC subway system. Rogers spokesperson Laura Crochetiere told The Wire Report Thursday that work on the remaining tunnels is ongoing. She did not elaborate further when asked which stage project progress is at, as far as completion goes. Following a dispute over access to provide cell service on Toronto subways and in stations in 2023, federal Innovation Minister François-Philippe Champagne ordered all other mobile carriers offering service in Toronto to come to commercial agreements with Rogers to provide service on the network. hdaley@thewirereport.ca

Rogers spends $8 million upping capacity at Toronto stadium; TTC work remains underway

Telecom |
By Hannah Daley
|October 17, 2024

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Rogers spends $8 million upping capacity at Toronto stadium; TTC work remains underway

Telecom | By Hannah Daley |October 17, 2024

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By Hannah Daley
|October 17, 2024