The Yankees have tapped Lumen Technologies for a large-scale fiber installation that will connect the organization’s data infrastructure inside Yankee Stadium to an existing data center facility in Tampa. The project, completed May, saw two 100-gigabit fiber paths laid -- one routed through New York and the other through New Jersey, with one path carrying live traffic and the second on standby if the first is disrupted. Lumen’s EVP & Chief Marketing and Strategy Officer Ryan Asdourian declined to comment on deal terms but told SBJ the fiber will provide sub-5-millisecond latency on data transferred between N.Y. and Tampa -- less than a typical video call and fast enough for “real-time AI computations,” which could facilitate future AI or cloud-based technology initiatives.
“The network was not as important in years past as it is today to a sports team,” Asdourian said, rattling off sports-specific use-cases including powering the in-venue WiFi, scanning tickets, and processing payments and other data. “Today, the network is the underlay of every service [teams] provide.”
Another of Lumen’s differentiators, according to Asdourian, is a flexible pricing model under which teams can adjust the amount of network bandwidth they pay for based on demand, down to a daily or hourly basis. Typically, contracts with network providers center on a flat fee for a designated term.
“Day or night, when Yankee Stadium is filled, the amount of bandwidth that is needed ... spikes massively during a game, or any event that the stadium would host,” Asdourian said. “In a flexible, on-demand contract, you don’t have to pay for the maximum amount of bandwidth that you need 365 days per year. You can pay for it when you need it or as you need it. Because the demand is not gradual. It spikes around these special moments.”
Asdourian said Lumen works with “almost every single sports stadium and team in some shape or form,” with notable clients including the Kentucky Derby, Pac-12, NFL’s Seahawks and MLS’ Sounders.
