Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium in Canton, OH was the scene of the annual Pro Football Hall of Fame game on August 5, 2021, where the wide receivers were not the fastest thing in the park. JMA Wireless and ExteNet announced they had already deployed the world’s first in-venue midband 5G network at the stadium prior to the game. 

The companies said the download speeds of more than 600 megabits per second (Mbps) in the 23,300-seat stadium full of fans was a feat made possible by JMA’s distributed antenna system (DAS). JMA’s JMA DAS, which was deployed in the stadium in 2018 by ExteNet as the neutral-host provider, required no additional cost, labor, or modifications to support the newly upgraded, multi-carrier 5G network. 

JMA’s JMA DAS is designed to be capable of supporting 5G-midband networks effectively and efficiently. In this case, the system is operating on T-Mobile’s 2.5 GHz (5G NR Band n41) mid-band spectrum. Once the 5G network upgrade was added and running, speed tests showed performance of over 600 Mbps during the game, according to the companies. 

“This historic first is a powerful demonstration of what’s possible for thousands of venues across the country where JMA’s JMA DAS is deployed. With its high performance and unique band capability, JMA DAS is 5G-ready and future-proof, making it easy for venues to upgrade to 5G, with no additional investment or new equipment,” said Todd Landry, Corporate Vice President, Product and Market Strategy at JMA Wireless. 

Kevin Gallagher, Senior Vice President, Product & Marketing for ExteNet said getting the network ready for the 2021 season inaugural game was their priority and they were extremely pleased with the 5G performance on game day at the stadium. 

“Together with JMA Wireless, our best-in-class wireless infrastructure and network operations enabled a superior fan experience, as evident from the throughput data for a major carrier,” Gallagher, said, “We’re honored to serve our venue and carrier partners, improve network performance, and deliver the ultra-fast and high-bandwidth connectivity that users need to accentuate their game-day experience.”