SignalShare Live-Fi is a Wi-Fi based audience engagement technology

SignalShare Live-Fi is a Wi-Fi based audience engagement technology. SignalShare provides temporary and permanent wireless Internet solutions for the sports and entertainment industries as well as corporate events. According to Steve Herd, SignalShare Marketing & Business Development, “In a space where Verizon, AT&T and Cisco compete head to head, technology startup SignalShare has been quietly winning Wi-Fi installation deals from major stadiums including The Indiana Pacers, Sacramento Kings, Houston Rockets and temporary networks for USTA The US Tennis Open.” This blog takes a look at SignalShare, located in Raleigh, NC.

SignalShare http://www.signalshare.com/

The company delivers cost-effective results that meet the growing wireless Internet connectivity demands of the rapidly expanding mobile device landscape and delivering turnkey services, including all of the technology, infrastructure, and expertise necessary to construct a broadband wireless network. Check them out here.

SignalShare Live-Fi Video

Toyota Center NBA All Star Weekend

The Toyota Center in Houston hosted the 2013 NBA All Star Weekend. Fans at the game were given free access to Wi-Fi and took full advantage of fast, clear connectivity. The Toyota Center Wi-Fi, a project fully developed and installed by SignalShare enabled fans access to Social Media, NBA All Star App, and a host of other digital platforms during the game.

SignalShare observed during the second half of the game how fans inside of the Toyota Center were uploading more content than they were downloading it. A fundamental IT shift in this sport event occurred when the majority of outbound data surpassed inbound data. Fans using mobile devices uploaded more data to their Facebook, Twitter and YouTube social networks, outperforming fans that downloaded data such as scores.

SignalShare Technology

Their research into high-density connectivity that is supported by networking hardware companies is paying off for their clients and end-users. The startup got their big break in 2010 when the USTA selected them to provide Wi-Fi for their U.S. Open Tournament where they supplemented their existing Wi-Fi to support their new, bandwidth-hungry Fan Engagement App.

Co-founder Joe Costanzo said, “We wanted to collect Internet usage data in sports and entertainment venues. We built a network device to capture the data, but it turned out that very few stadiums and arenas had serviceable Wi-Fi available. Since the infrastructure wasn’t ready yet, we started exploring ways to provide wireless Internet in high-density environments.”

Live-Fi

SignalShare is also pioneering a Wi-Fi based, audience engagement technology they’ve branded: Live-Fi.  Venues can create additional revenues via Wi-Fi networks by directly messaging and engaging anyone connected to their network. Consistent Wi-Fi connections mean more fan engaging opportunities and sponsorship revenue.

Introducing Live-Fi^TM

• Sponsored Messaging & Advertising Support
• Ticket and Merchandise Sales, Future Event Promotions
• Membership Offers & Mailing List Sign-ups
• Total Dashboard Control
• Data Retrieval

Sportsbiz

What followed the success of Live-Fi were phone calls from interested stadiums that had heard through word of mouth the reliability SignalShare were having in other venues.

“We started hiring incredibly talented and passionate people we had met along the way,” recalls, Chris Barnes VP of strategic partnerships for SignalShare. “Today I feel comfortable saying because of their hard work, we’ve cracked the code in high density Wi-Fi”

Is SignalShare intimidated by competing against enormous corporate entities? Not at all, they credit their success to their agility and ability to adapt. “The technology is constantly changing and evolving. Because we’re hardware-agnostic, we’re not beholden to any one hardware manufacturer. We get to pick and choose the best-of-the-best components for each solution,” say’s Costanzo.

“We embrace competition,” adds Barnes. “We’re winning these jobs because we can build a fast, reliable network for considerably less than our competition and then we help venues to turn their networks into revenue generators.  It’s really not a fair fight.”

Whether it is a discount ticket offer sent to fans during the game or a merchandising special purchase, Live-Fi offers the targeted opportunity to engage with potential customers who are already on the premise which is smart sports business.

Sports Techie, The New England Patriots play in Gillette Stadium and are noteworthy SignalShare customers. So is the music show, Austin City Limits. Fans today need increased venue bandwidth in order to share or upload data. The new IT shift away from downloading data is a result of the massive amount of mobile traffic fans create during a live game or event that requires uploading. Most of this big data is social media centric.

Buildings that are sourcing their wireless Internet solutions needs have to consider wireless Internet connectivity and what that means to their bottom line. Consistent connectivity means more sponsorship opportunities for teams and brands to activate and engage with fans.

SignalShare might be the small guy on the wireless connectivity block that houses Cisco S&E, Verizon, and AT&T, but they certainly are making a large impact for their winning customers. The Sacramento Kings might soon become the new Supersonics team so I expect the Seattle Arena ownership group will be taking a serious look at SignalShare as a possible technology provider for their new facility.

Contact SignalShare to construct or consult with your broadband wireless network.

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