University of Utah athletic director Mark Harlan hinted at the move at Big 12 media days in July, but the university has now made it official.
WiFi at Rice-Eccles Stadium will be upgraded.
For years, cell service and WiFi have been spotty at best and sometimes unavailable to fans during Utah football games at 51,444-seat Rice-Eccles Stadium.
In late November 2023, the university issued a request for proposals to “execute a contract with a qualified vendor to design and build a turnkey high-density wireless local area network (WLAN) system for the outdoor collegiate football stadium at the University of Utah’s Rice-Eccles Stadium (and associated buildings),” according to a post on bidsync.com.
The WiFi network will be installed this summer and should improve connectivity for fans throughout the stadium. According to the university, the free WiFi network, called “RiceEcclesWiFi,” will be free for fans to connect without registration.
Additions announced by the University of Utah to the fan experience at Rice-Eccles Stadium also include a new mobile ordering system for concessions, which the university hopes will reduce congestion on the concourses.
“Fans will be able to order ahead of time on their mobile devices and pick up their order at dedicated mobile order pickup lanes at select concession stands,” the university said.
Other changes to concessions for 2024 include “refillable souvenir fountain drink cups” that can be purchased once and then refilled for free. Additionally, all concession stands will be cashless, with fans required to pay with a credit card or mobile wallet such as Apple Pay or Google Wallet.
