- The New York Mets are upgrading Citi Field’s Wi‑Fi and cellular coverage with Boingo Wireless.
- Some seating sections are expected to be upgraded by Opening Day, with work continuing across the ballpark.
- The Mets say reliable connectivity is now “business critical” for mobile ordering, ticket scanning, and fan engagement.
The New York Mets are rolling out major wireless upgrades at Citi Field through a new partnership with Boingo Wireless, covering both Wi‑Fi and cellular service for all major carriers. Some seating areas are expected to be ready by Opening Day, with installation continuing throughout the ballpark. Sportsbusinessjournal
This isn’t a vanity project anymore. If the network buckles, the modern game-day experience buckles with it—mobile concessions, digital tickets, even basic wayfinding.
Mets SVP of Technology Oscar Fernandez framed it as a necessity, not a nice-to-have: “We want your mobile ordering to work flawlessly,” he said, alongside digital ticket scanning and the team’s newer digital and loyalty efforts.
The pressure is only getting worse. Wireless data consumption has been rising about 35% annually for the past three years, and Citi Field still has to function when it’s packed and everyone’s uploading, streaming, scanning, and swiping at once.
A key detail: the Mets’ deal bundles both Wi‑Fi and cellular network work under Boingo. The cellular side includes a DAS—short for distributed antenna system—which is basically a web of antennas that boosts and spreads cell signal inside big, crowded venues.
Boingo CEO Mike Finley put it bluntly: “Your phone, your device is everything at any event.” In his view, fans have moved past “look, I’m here” posts and into “I need this to get in, order food, and do everything” mode.
Fernandez also pointed to the fan reality: people don’t show up thinking about network architecture. “You just want to make sure you have a good signal,” he said, and the Wi‑Fi-versus-cellular debate fades fast when there are 40,000 people competing for bandwidth.
For Boingo, Citi Field is another high-profile venue deal in a sports business it says now spans more than 70 sports and entertainment sites. Finley also suggested the work won’t be a one-and-done build, arguing that data projections keep getting blown up and networks have to evolve before they’re forced to.
That “always more traffic than you planned for” problem isn’t just a stadium headache—it’s a core internet one, too. In a Reuters report on Nokia’s router push, the company described FP4 silicon capable of processing 2.4 terabits per second, alongside new “core” and “edge” routers aimed at web-scale players like Google, Amazon, and Facebook, with added headroom for built-in defenses against DDoS attacks (traffic floods meant to knock services offline). Reuters
The connective tissue here is simple: whether it’s a ballpark bowl or a hyperscale data center, the winners are the networks that handle ugly real-world spikes without breaking. Fans don’t care what’s routing what; they care that the checkout button works and the barcode scans on the first try.
Still, there’s real execution risk. Finley acknowledged that making Wi‑Fi and cellular “work together” can get complicated, and Citi Field’s rollout is staged—some sections first, the rest later—so early fan impressions may vary depending on where they sit and how quickly tuning and build-out progress.
If the Mets and Boingo land it, Citi Field’s upgrade will be felt in the little things: faster entry lines, fewer app timeouts, smoother mobile ordering, and less frustration when everyone reaches for their phones at the same moment. In 2026, that’s not a perk. It’s the baseline.
