There's no such thing as 'Unlimited Data Plans' for stadiums in the U.S. & Canada.

Researchers predict that $1.02 billion will be spent on wireless connectivity in North American stadiums this year. That's $447 million for Wi-Fi and $575 million for DAS in 2025. These numbers will more than double by 2030, with combined spending on Wi-Fi and DAS exceeding $2.6 billion.

We hear people talk all the time about a billion dollars for this or two billion dollars for that...and we can become desensitized. When it's money coming out of your owner's pocket, it quickly puts things in perspective. $1.02 billion is roughly what it costs to build a state-of-the-art NFL stadium and just shy of the combined sponsorship revenues for all 32 NHL clubs ($1.35 billion in 2023-24, a league record high).

And $2.6 billion?

That amount of cash would pay the annual salaries of 21 MLB teams, specifically the Miami Marlins, Oakland Athletics, Tampa Bay Rays, Chicago White Sox, Pittsburgh Pirates, Washington Nationals, Cincinnati Reds, Colorado Rockies, Arizona Diamondbacks, Baltimore Orioles, Milwaukee Brewers, Kansas City Royals, Cleveland Guardians, Detroit Tigers, Seattle Mariners, Minnesota Twins, St. Louis Cardinals, Los Angeles Angels, Texas Rangers, San Diego Padres, and Chicago Cubs. And you'd still have a bit more cash left over.

While these numbers are fun to conjure, if you're staring down the expense of upgrading wireless in your building, this is serious business. Now that you see this expense coming, it's essential to have a strategic approach to optimizing your investments.

At AmpThink, we advise owners to adopt a frequency-neutral strategy for building wireless infrastructure. Given the complementary nature yet divergent business models of Wi-Fi and DAS, being frequency-neutral is the best way to ensure you retain control and maximize your investment.