Poor cellular signals are now a thing of the past for the many spectators attending events inside the concrete bowl of BC Place Stadium in downtown Vancouver.
Just in time for the grand finale of Taylor Swift’s globe-trotting Eras Tour, telecommunications giant Rogers completed a $10 million upgrade to improve 5G connectivity inside BC Place Stadium.
And it clearly works.
The newly enhanced permanent cellular infrastructure was put to the ultimate stress test over the three nights of Eras Tour concerts, with Swiftie ticketholders — numbering about 60,000 for each of the concert nights — able to use record volumes of cellular data.
Over the course of Swift’s three concerts, fans on the Rogers 5G network at BC Place Stadium used 32 TB of data, including 11 TB during her last-ever concert for the tour on Sunday, December 8 — setting a new Canadian record. This far exceeded the previous record recently set at Swift’s concert at Rogers Centre in downtown Toronto on November 21, when Swifties used 7.4 TB of data on the Rogers 5G network.
A data usage of 11 TB is equivalent to streaming her entire music catalogue 9,450 times.
Some Swifties were even able to livestream the entire final concert in high quality on YouTube, amassing hundreds of thousands of live viewers.
According to Rogers, the data used during the concert on December 8 at BC Place Stadium is equivalent to uploading 307,000 photos and 2,180 hours of video streaming. The data usage spike patterns show the most-shared moments of the concert were when Taylor Swift came on stage and at the start of the “Reputation” era.
“Taylor fans use incredible amounts of data at her concerts to share the experience, and their data usage at the Vancouver shows have set a new bar for Rogers 5G network at a stadium event,” said Mark Kennedy, chief technology officer of Rogers, in a statement today.
“Our 5G network at BC Place is brand new and we’re thrilled fans set a new record sharing this once-in-lifetime experience.”
More stadium venues are increasingly adopting 5G technology to provide faster speeds, lower latency, and more capacity, as a large number of spectators livestream and share moments in real time.
The 5G infrastructure upgrade performed and funded by Rogers will greatly enhance the experience of spectators attending events at BC Place Stadium, including for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
BC Place Stadium’s network was completely redesigned with a brand-new in-stadium network system. Rogers’ staff spent 10,000 hours on planning and installation, and over 40 crew members spent another 10,000 hours installing the equipment and infrastructure.
These upgrades increased the 5G network capacity by 38 times inside the stadium, which is equivalent to coverage provided by 20 towers in Vancouver.
As well, as an interim measure only over the three-night concert weekend, Rogers also installed two temporary “Cell on Wheels” to increase wireless capacity and ensure reliable connectivity for the large crowds of Swifties outside the stadium.
This clear pivot to Rogers represents a major move for the venue. In 2012, the provincial government scrapped a deal with Telus that would have provided the telecommunications giant with a $40 million naming rights and branding contract for BC Place Stadium, including extensive infrastructure upgrades for WiFi and cellular connectivity.
In early 2019, the provincial government announced its intention to restart its process to seek a naming rights sponsor for the stadium to help support the ongoing operations, maintenance, and upgrade costs for the venue, but those efforts appear to have since stalled.
Over the past few months, four new giant outdoor advertising video boards were installed outside BC Place Stadium, including three additional boards and one replacement. Just in time for The Eras Tour, the last and largest of these screens is mounted onto the exterior east wall of the stadium, measuring 85 ft long and 25 ft tall, making it one of the largest screens of its kind in the province. Over the lifespan of these signs, the stadium will generate significant revenue.
Currently, provincial Crown corporation Pavco is also in the process of seeking a contractor to install a new replacement centre-hung, four-sided video board above the field inside the stadium. As reported by Daily Hive Urbanized in late November 2024, this new installation will be a “like for like” replacement that reuses the existing steel/aluminum structural frame and wiring.
Other improvements that will be made to BC Place Stadium for the FIFA World Cup include the renovation of the three existing small elevators, the potential construction of up to three new additional large elevators, renovations to the Edgewater Lounge on Level 3 that convert it into a new fan zone accessible to everyone under general admission, repurposing BC Sports Hall of Fame’s existing storage space next to the Edgewater lounge into additional spectator areas, converting the food court area on Level 1 into an enclosed purpose-built multi-functional space, and renovations to the old and outdated player dressing rooms and facilities.
The stadium is also set to see the installation of a natural grass pitch in time for the tournament. Pavco officials previously stated a decision has yet to be made on whether the natural grass pitch would be made a permanent feature of the stadium, or whether it would be temporary, with the venue reverting to artificial turf.