Technology Blog

Before the game begins, AT&T Park is ready to download and upload hundreds of thousands of photos and status updates. (Credit: Jessica Dolcourt/CNET) The home of the Giants baseball team looms large at the edge of San Francisco Bay. Yet for data-hungry ball fans, this is no ordinary ballpark. Instead, it's owned by the second-largest wireless carrier in the country, which means that a detailed attention to great wireless data connection comes with the turf. Each day, thousands of fans connect to the ballpark's free Wi-Fi network, and to 3G and 4G carrier networks. Hidden in the architecture are Wi-Fi access points and 3G/4G transceivers that work with the thick bundles of wiring organized in the stadium's balmy interior. A lot goes on behind the scenes, and I was lucky enough to join the ballpark's chief information officer and some of AT&T's crew on a tour of the network coverage underbelly of my neighborhood ballpark. The slideshow below tells the tale. How AT&T Park hooks up your phone during game