Dodger Stadium wireless improvements a bigger job than anticipated

July 16th, 2013 at 6:00 am by Ron Cervenka

When Dodger president and CEO Stan Kasten announced at a press conference last January that Dodger Stadium was going to have the best cell phone and Wi-Fi services than any other ballpark in the MLB, he absolutely meant it – and anyone who knows Stan Kasten knows that he is a man of his word. In fact, Kasten has pretty much delivered on just about everything that he said he would for the storied franchise, from acquiring some of the biggest names in the game, to rebuilding a depleted farm system, to renovating Dodger Stadium.

During that January 8, 2013 press conference, Kasten said that the new wireless services would not be ready by opening day but said that they should be fully operational by June. He was quick to add, however, that before anything could be done with the wireless systems, the stadium’s 51-year-old electrical system would have to be completely re-done.

"The electricians have warned me that if someone plugs in one more toaster the entire electrical system could blow," kidded Kasten at the January 8th press conference. (Photo credit - Ron Cervenka)

“The electricians warned me that if someone plugs in one more toaster at Dodger Stadium, the entire electrical system could blow,” kidded Kasten. (Photo credit – Ron Cervenka)

Here we are at the All-Star break and the new wireless systems are still not operational, and while this may cause some fans to cry foul or claim that they have been misled by Kasten, the truth of the matter is that it was a much larger task than anyone could have ever imagined.

“It’s very complicated to wire a 56,000 seat stadium that was built before the internet was invented,” said longtime Dodger spokesman Steve Brener. “It was a huge job needless to say, bigger than we had anticipated. We had to wire the stadium from scratch.”

Installing cellphone towers is the easy part. It's wiring the 51-year-old Dodger Stadium that was a much bigger task than anticipated. (Photo credit - Ron Cervenka)

Installing cell phone towers at Dodger Stadium is the easy part. It’s wiring the 51-year-old stadium for Wi-Fi that was a much bigger task than anticipated. (Photo credit – Ron Cervenka)

Brener said that he expects all wireless services to be fully operational by the end of the year, adding that some of it is already completed.

“AT&T (cell phone service) is fully operational and we’re hoping to add T-Mobil and Verizon by the end of the year,” said Brener. “Unfortunately, Sprint has opted out. On the Wi-Fi, it will be operational in stages over the next six months.”

Brener added that the Dodger organization appreciates fans’ patience through the unforeseen delays.

“We’re doing everything we can to provide the best in cell phone and Wi-Fi service at Dodger Stadium. Once (the wireless services) are in place, I know that our fans will enjoy the benefit as part of their fan experience. It will be impressive,” said Brener.

We’ve gone 51 years without wireless services at Dodger Stadium, another six months certainly won’t kill us.

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