Hewlett Packard Enterprise (NYSE: HPE) has deployed a Wi-Fi 6E solution from HPE Aruba Networking at Notre Dame Stadium, the 80,000-seat iconic home of the University of Notre Dame’s Fighting Irish football team, making it the first higher education stadium to deploy the Federal Communications Commission’s newly-approved 6 GHz spectrum outdoors. The multi-phase wireless-first initiative, which is bringing Wi-Fi 6E to indoor and outdoor spaces institution-wide, also includes a private 5G (P5G) pilot in conjunction with the Notre Dame Wireless Institute to explore opportunities for improving cellular experiences across campus for users and devices.

Notre Dame projects that up to 90 percent of its 13,000 students will rely on at least one Wi-Fi 6E device by the start of the next academic year, thus the institution set out to deliver on escalating connectivity demands and create a wireless-first campus. To provide a preview of the high-performance Wi-Fi 6E bandwidth that will blanket the 1,265 acre, 190-building campus by August 2025, the institution began with Notre Dame Stadium. During the institution’s final playoff game on December 20, 2024, Wi-Fi traffic peaked at more than 26 Gps, nearly three times the previous record despite zero-degree Fahrenheit weather.

“Given the accelerating expectations of our campus community and Fighting Irish fans for ever-evolving mobility, AI, and IoT-enabled experiences in the classroom, at research facilities, during recreational activities, and on game day, Wi-Fi 6E enables us to anticipate the future and say ‘yes’ to new innovations that we were unable to support with our legacy vendor,” said John Buysse, senior director of University Network and Telephony Services at Notre Dame. “Further, we believe there are advantages indoors and outdoors for deploying P5G as a complimentary technology and are looking forward to the findings from our pilot.”

Tapping into endless possibilities

With 1,100 outdoor and indoor access points (APs) for its HPE Aruba Networking Wi-Fi 6E deployment, Notre Dame Stadium is able to provide experiential options such as ticketless entry, self-service contactless concessions, augmented reality, live streaming of real-time stats from Fighting Irish Media, and the capability to video chat with others in the venue or anywhere in the world.

In addition, Notre Dame is supplying Wi-Fi 6E connectivity on the field during headliner events, such as live music performances, and supporting the daily events held in indoor stadium spaces, the largest of which can accommodate several thousand attendees. The stadium deployment is also serving as a live laboratory for the Wireless Institute to conduct cutting edge research on IoT, extended reality technologies, and AI.

“With the opening of the 6 GHz band, modern Wi-Fi networks can now deliver fully on their potential to provide connectivity for an array of AI and IoT-driven innovations and use cases that enable individuals and devices to interact in ways that are available now, as well as those yet to be invented,” said Larry Lunetta, vice president, AI, Security and Networking Product Marketing at HPE Aruba Networking. “Whether it’s existing technologies, or new application on the horizon, Notre Dame’s students, faculty, researchers, and fans can expect to tap into endless possibilities enabled by secure, seamless, high-performance connectivity.”

Deep collaboration enables accelerating innovation

As the largest Wi-Fi 6E deployment to date, the Notre Dame Stadium implementation was completed in collaboration with Federated Wireless. It contributed innovative cloud-managed Automated Frequency Coordination (AFC) technology, which enables use of the 6 GHz band outdoors by coordinating multiple users to operate concurrently over Standard Power without interference. This shared spectrum breakthrough increases Wi-Fi power by 60x, expands coverage by 20x, and doubles capacity, helping make projects like Notre Dame Stadium feasible and highly efficient.

"Deep collaboration with HPE ensured seamless integration of Wi-Fi 6E at Notre Dame Stadium, delivering a frictionless user experience with cutting-edge reliability and performance,” said Kurt Schaubach, chief technology officer at Federated Wireless. “By elevating shared spectrum to rival licensed spectrum, we’re enabling enterprises to unlock new business models, drive industry transformation, and accelerate innovation, with the Notre Dame Stadium implementation a prime example."

Strategic relationship helps anticipate what comes next

As Notre Dame continues rolling out Wi-Fi 6E to achieve its wireless-first vision, the institution plans to leverage a variety of HPE Aruba Networking technologies, including cloud-managed HPE Aruba Networking Central, HPE Aruba Networking CX Switches, and location-based services, for delivering seamless connectivity efficiently and effectively.

“We elected to standardize on HPE Aruba Networking as HPE is providing us with a strategic and highly collaborative relationship that helps us anticipate what comes next,” said Buysse. “Only being a vendor, like our legacy provider, is no longer sufficient for meeting the rapidly-evolving needs of higher education.”

Additional Resources:

• HPE Aruba Networking
• HPE Aruba Networking Private 5G

About Federated Wireless

Federated Wireless is the leader in shared and unlicenced spectrum solutions, bringing cutting-edge connectivity to various industries, including defense, logistics, manufacturing, and education. With a commitment to innovation, Federated Wireless is dedicated to building the future of connected, automated, and mission-critical networks.

About Hewlett Packard Enterprise

Hewlett Packard Enterprise (NYSE: HPE) is a global technology leader focused on developing intelligent solutions that allow customers to capture, analyze, and act upon data seamlessly. The company innovates across networking, hybrid cloud, and AI to help customers develop new business models, engage in new ways, and increase operational performance. For more information, visit: www.hpe.com.

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