PORTLAND, Ore. (October 31, 2013) – Fans of the Portland Trail Blazers and NBA Basketball will have a first-class ticket to the ultimate in-arena web experience thanks to a brand new Trail Blazers mobile app and Aruba Networks (NASDAQ: ARUN) WiFi access inside the Moda Center. The new tandem reconfigures how fans and technology will interact during home games beginning with the new 2013-14 season.
“Technology plays a tremendous role in how fans interact with their favorite teams, and our Trail Blazers fans are among the most passionate and engaged in the NBA when it comes to consuming content,” said Trail Blazers President and CEO Chris McGowan. “We’ve invested tremendous time and effort in a redesign of our mobile app based on input from fans and our own quest for some amazing functionality. The fact that we’re also activating better performing WiFi access creates an exciting in-game web experience at the Moda Center.”
“Our association with Trail Blazers basketball has been long and loyal, much like the loyalty of thousands of Toyota owners,” said Greg Leonard, President of the local Toyota Dealers Association and with nearby Vancouver Toyota in Vancouver, Wash. “We’re pleased to again be part of the Trail Blazers for another season, and take great pride in enhancing the fan experience inside the Moda Center with free Wi-Fi service courtesy of Toyota.”
The new Trail Blazers mobile app, available November 1, runs on both the Android and Apple’s iOS operating systems, and can be accessed via smartphone and tablets. Features include:
• News feeds from www.trailblazers.com and www.forwardcenter.net;
• Gametracker with live up-to-date stats, box scores, play-by-play and more;
• Live in-game shot charts and heat maps for each team;
• Game Flow feature allowing fans to read play-by-play details during and after games;
• Live in-game video feeds, replays and highlights (option only available in arena).
Due to the dramatic increase in spectators using mobile devices to communicate, share videos and photos instantly, the Trail Blazers and Moda Center selected Aruba Networks unified wired and wireless infrastructure to power its 20,000 seat arena. Aruba’s Wi-Fi network delivers Trail Blazers fans with the high-speed bandwidth that cellular networks often cannot provide in highly dense environments allowing them to stay connected without delay or interruptions.
“Providing Wi-Fi solutions for public-facing enterprises is a growing area for Aruba Networks and we look forward to helping Moda Center continue to expand its Wi-Fi capabilities,” said Ben Gibson, Chief Marketing Officer, Aruba Networks. “The Moda Center is another example of how Aruba’s WLAN is enabling large public venue owners to securely, reliably and cost-effectively deliver a high-quality WiFi experience for its thousands of event attendees.”
YinzCam Mobile Sports Applications, Inc. is assisting the Trail Blazers in constructing the look, feel and operation of the new mobile app. To deliver the required functionality of a wireless stadium experience, YinzCam’s specialized sports-oriented content applications connect to Aruba’s application aware WiFi infrastructure to provide video and statistical aspects of each Trail Blazers game like never before experienced. YinzCam has a powerful pedigree in sports applications thanks to a client list of more than 40 NFL, NBA and NHL teams.
Maximum access to WiFi inside the Moda Center is concentrated inside the arena bowl, with high signal strength stretching through all suites, across all sections and down to premium seating along the court. More than 400 access points and antennas are being deployed around the Moda Center to not only boost WiFi, but also support future telecommunications upgrades the Trail Blazers have in mind. Telecommunications vendors Crown Castle International (NYSE: CCI), Structured Communications and Christenson Electric are combining as providers of the Trail Blazers improved high-tech infrastructure.
“Our strategy has multiple moving parts – the first of which is the full activation of a truly robust WiFi connection inside the Moda Center,” said Mike Janes, Trail Blazers Vice President of Engineering and Technology. “The tech savvy of Trail Blazers fans motivated our decision to construct an interactive network to enhance their experience at home games. This is just the beginning of an approach that will change the face and function of our in-arena technology.”