High-Performance Connectivity at both Fenway Park and the New Spring Training Facility, JetBlue Park at Fenway South, Delivers Internet Content and Services for Fans, Media and Team Personnel
PHILADELPHIA and BOSTON – April 12, 2012 – Comcast Corporation, one of the nation’s leading providers of entertainment, information and communications products and services, today announced the Boston Red Sox have selected Comcast Business Class Metro Ethernet to deliver high-speed communications at both Boston’s historic Fenway Park and the team’s new spring training facility, JetBlue Park at Fenway South, which opened this Spring Training season in Fort Myers, Florida. The Ethernet Service will deliver secure, reliable, high-performance Internet connectivity to support members of the media, Red Sox staff and provide in-game Internet service for fans of one of Major League Baseball’s most-storied franchises.
“The sports industry has changed dramatically in the last 15 years in its use of technology – from the use of video files in scouting players to the need for high-speed connectivity at the park so media can post photos, video clips, commentary and stories before, during and after games,” said Steve Conley, IT director at the Boston Red Sox. “We are in a media-centric business, and Comcast Business Class Metro Ethernet provides us with the bandwidth to accommodate the Internet reliability and performance needed for reporters, photographers and television crews, with the flexibility to quickly add more bandwidth in the future as we need it.”
The media will use Comcast Business Class Ethernet Dedicated Internet for real-time uploads of photography and video files during games and for high-speed Internet access in the press box to support reporting, research, writing and social media activities.
In addition, the Red Sox use video extensively as part of their scouting and player evaluation programs, which generate a significant amount of large video files that must be transferred through their network. “We are getting Terabytes of data per month from player videos, and these videos are very important to the scouting department, especially in the months leading up to the amateur player draft,” added Conley.
“Video files make up a considerable portion of today’s wide area network and overall Internet traffic, and this trend is expected to continue as more organizations utilize video in their daily operations,” said Bill Stemper, President of Comcast Business Services. “The Boston Red Sox are a classic example of an organization that is a heavy user of video, making them an excellent fit for a Metro Ethernet service that can provide high-bandwidth and scale up quickly using Comcast’s vast fiber-based network.”
Comcast Business Class Metro Ethernet also provides The Red Sox with reliable bandwidth to support public Wi-Fi access at Fenway Park during games. According to Conley, approximately 1,800-2,000 users are utilizing public Wi-Fi at Fenway, on average, for Internet access during a home game. Also, more than 250 Red Sox employees are using Comcast Business Class for their Internet connectivity on a daily basis, supporting various roles and departments in the organization throughout the year.
JetBlue Park at Fenway South, the team’s new 106-acre Spring Training and Player Development Complex, is also utilizing Comcast Business Class Metro Ethernet, allowing media, fans and team personnel to enjoy the same high-speed connectivity experience during Spring Training in Florida as they do at Fenway Park in Boston. Comcast’s Metro Ethernet Network is available in 20 of the top 25 U.S. markets, with reach from New England to Florida and out to California and the Pacific Northwest.
About Comcast Business Services
Comcast Business Services, a unit of Comcast Cable, provides advanced communication solutions to help organizations of all sizes meet their business objectives. Through a modern, advanced network that is backed by 24/7 technical support, Comcast delivers Business Class Internet, TV and Voice services for cost-effective, simplified communications management.
Launched in 2011, the Comcast Business Class Ethernet suite offers high-performance point-to-point and multi-point Metro Ethernet services with the capacity to deliver cloud computing, software-as-a-service, business continuity/disaster recovery and other bandwidth-intensive applications. Comcast Metro Ethernet services are significantly faster than T1 lines and other legacy technologies, providing scalable bandwidth from 1 Mbps up to 10 Gigabits-per-second (Gbps) in more than 20 major US markets.
For more information, call 866-429-3085 or visit business.comcast.com/enterprise.
About Comcast Cable
Comcast Corporation (NASDAQ: CMCSA, CMCSK) (www.comcast.com) is one of the nation’s leading providers of entertainment, information and communications products and services. Comcast is principally involved in the operation of cable systems through Comcast Cable and in the development, production and distribution of entertainment, news, sports and other content for global audiences through NBCUniversal. Comcast Cable is one of the nation’s largest video, high-speed Internet and phone providers to residential and business customers. Comcast is the majority owner and manager of NBCUniversal, which owns and operates entertainment and news cable networks, the NBC and Telemundo broadcast networks, local television station groups, television production operations, a major motion picture company and theme parks.
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