More than half a million people are expected to head to Houston for World Cup matches next year. Verizon is beefing up their 5G network to keep them connected.
HOUSTON — With over half a million visitors expected to descend on Houston for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, the responsibility for keeping all their devices connected falls on a nondescript building north of the city.
This is Verizon Communication Inc.’s (NYSE: VZ) local “nerve center,” one of several scattered throughout the company’s South market. It is responsible for maintaining Verizon’s Houston-area network through wind, rain and Super Bowls.
As Houston prepares for the World Cup, Verizon plans to quadruple its 5G capacity within NRG Stadium, according to Guillermo Salinas, director of system performance at Verizon.
“We have more than 20 years preparing for Super Bowls, and we apply that to a stadium environment, so we’re not just starting from scratch here,” Salinas said in an interview with the Houston Business Journal.
He compared the preparation efforts for the World Cup to the preparations to similar efforts Verizon undertook for the Houston Astros’ 2022 World Series parade in downtown.
Continue reading this story on the Houston Business Journal’s website.
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