Leading up to the team's preseason home opener on Aug. 25, the New Orleans Saints will be unveiling the final updates of the Caesars Superdome's dynamic $560 million transformation, strategically aimed at enhancing the facility's fan experience. The team has proudly committed nearly $180 million toward the $560 million project. The collaborative project funded by the New Orleans Saints, Louisiana Stadium & Exposition District (LSED), and the State of Louisiana has progressed over a five-year period through the work of a team of architects, contractors, designers and construction workers operating around the clock in order to reach its completion by the start of the 2024 Saints season. Saints season ticketholders and their guests will be the first to experience the remarkable evolution of the facility prior to the building hosting the National Football League's showcase event, Super Bowl LIX, on Feb., 9, 2025, the year which will also be the 50th anniversary of the stadium.
The purpose of the Caesars Superdome transformation project is to preserve the character of the building's iconic exterior, while elevating its overall functionality and the gameday experience for all guests. These modernizations bring the facility in line with stadiums being built and renovated across the world, thus keeping the storied home of the Saints and the city of New Orleans as ideal hosts for the upcoming and future Super Bowls, as well as numerous national and international events for decades to come. Equally as important, the Caesars Superdome will continue to serve as a source of great civic pride while providing a significant economic impact for the city of New Orleans and the state of Louisiana.
As a fully transformed Caesars Superdome makes its debut in 2024, the New Orleans Saints look forward to highlighting the following aspects:
- Wireless and Cellular Upgrades
- Vertical Transportation Upgrades
- Three Brand-New Atriums
- New Premium Spaces
- Two New 40-Yard Bars
- Additional Fan Amenities and Technology Improvements
- Transformed Food and Beverage Service Following Back-of-House Upgrades
- Enhanced Accessibility for Disabled Fans and Guests With Sensory Issues
- Importance of Super Bowls to the Caesars Superdome and City of New Orleans
Wireless and Cellular Upgrades at Caesars Superdome
Thanks to the efforts of the New Orleans Saints, LSED, ASM Global—which played a significant role in the installation of new technology—technology experts, the team's wireless partner Verizon and additional cellular providers, an important part of the Caesars Superdome's dynamic $560 million transformation to enhance the facility's fan experience are extensive upgrades to the wireless and cellular experience for fans on gameday. Whether using WiFi or cellular service, guests will experience best-in-class speeds throughout the stadium.
Wireless and cellular accessibility has become essential to the gameday experience in NFL stadiums. In enhancing their gameday experience, fans not only use their smartphones to make and receive phone calls and send and receive emails and text messages, but to view the New Orleans Saints mobile app presented by Verizon, use mobile ticketing, check scores and live statistics, view replays, receive updates on their fantasy teams and make contactless purchases of food, drink and merchandise.
"The usage of technology by our fans as part of their gameday experience and their demands will continue to increase," Saints President Dennis Lauscha said. "It is important to provide the strongest and most reliable connectivity for our fans as possible with the Caesars Superdome transformation project. With these upgrades, we will offer a guest experience that features the most effective wireless technology available."
Ready for the NFL Season and Super Bowl LIX
As part of the Caesars Superdome transformation, increased wireless and cellular demands have made upgrades vital to the gameday experience. The stadium is also scheduled to host Super Bowl LIX on Feb. 9, 2025, with the league's championship game annually shattering wireless data consumption records. During this offseason, several actions were taken to satisfy fans' desires for wireless consumption and bandwidth.
Upgraded Coverage
During the offseason renovation project, the foundation of the facility's new Distributed Antenna System (DAS) was the installation of 16 multi-beam, wideband spherical lense antennas that are seven feet in diameter and weigh nearly 600 pounds apiece, a model called the MatSing MS-48H180. Another 16 large antenna spheres of varying sizes and frequencies have also been installed for a total of 32 new large antennas, in addition to 200 cellular antennas inside and around the building, all of these products specifically made for high-density environments such as stadiums and arenas. The DAS system's performance is expected to enhance further as it becomes fully integrated throughout the season.
The MatSing MS-48H180 devices, with a black color that matches the Caesars Superdome's roof, each were individually raised by hoist machines to the top of the facility and bolted into place. Each cellular antenna then transmits 48 different beams and signals to a specific area in the stadium, with each sphere angled differently to specifically target different coverage areas, allowing increased, consistent coverage for high-density seating areas. In addition to creating targets in seating and common areas throughout the stadium, these antennas create dedicated floor zones that result in improved coverage to the field areas for fans in 12 field-level suites and the Mercedes-Benz End Zone Club, teams and on-field media and broadcast elements. The project is also adding 2,500 new wireless access points placed in areas such as concourses, atriums, suites and food and beverage areas for better WiFi coverage.
