• E-mail
• Print
• Comment
• Font Size
• Digg
• del.icio.us
• Discuss article

SBC Baseball Park Pitches Wireless Access to Fans

Posted on: Wednesday, 31 March 2004, 06:00 CST

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) -- If Barry Bonds ties Willie Mays' career home run record at home in the next few weeks, Giants fans will spread the news with e-mails and instant messages - without ever leaving their stadium seats.

When SBC Park opens Thursday for the first of three home exhibition games leading up to the regular season, 121 wireless access points will provide high-speed Internet access in all concourses and seating areas.

The ballpark, known until this year as Pacific Bell Park, will become one of the world's largest public Wi-Fi "hot spots" for people with laptops and handheld computers.

Fans who bring Wi-Fi-enabled devices may use the ballpark's network for free during the 2004 season. SBC Communications Inc., which installed the equipment with Nortel Networks Corp. (NT), may charge for access next year.

San Antonio-based SBC charges $7.95 per day for its wireless Freedomlink network, or$19.95 per month.

"When we opened SBC Park in 2000," said Giants executive vice president Larry Baer, "our goal was to be one of the most technologically advanced sports facilities in the world."

-----

On the Net:

San Francisco Giants : The Official Site

More science, space, and technology from RedNova

Copyright © 2004 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. The information contained in the AP News report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press.

More News in this Category