No (Pass) Interference at Super Bowl 50

A little known fact is that the Super Bowl represents one of the largest uses of wireless communications and spectrum every year. Whether in the vicinity of the stadium or streaming the game online, the wireless network traffic is immense. From television and radio broadcasters’ wireless video cameras and microphones, to wireless mics, cameras, and special effects for Lady Gaga singing the National Anthem, and Beyoncé, Coldplay, and Bruno Mars performing at halftime, and of course, the teams, fans and stadium -- all use a tremendous amount of spectrum. More than 70,000 people attended last Sunday’s game, sending photos and video of their experiences, using mobile broadband to post updates to social media, and calling and texting friends and family. During this year’s Super Bowl, according to one media report, more than 10 terabytes of data traversed the WiFi network at Levi’s Stadium’s on Super Bowl Sunday, the equivalent of streaming 6,000+ hours of HD video. All of this places a huge demand on radio spectrum.