Beaver Stadium to Get Upgraded Cellular Service Under New Long-Term Deal With AT&T

Fans long frustrated by spotty cell service at Beaver Stadium may soon see improvements.

The Penn State Board of Trustee Finance and Investment Committee on Thursday recommended approval of a new 10-year agreement with AT&T that is expected to upgrade cellular connectivity inside the home of Penn State football. The full board will vote on the contract on Friday.

While the overhaul doesn’t begin until 2027, AT&T is making interim updates for improvements during the current football season, according to the university.

Improved cellular service has been listed among some of the less high-profile upgrades taking place as part of the $700 million Beaver Stadium renovation slated for completion next year.

AT&T will install a new distributed antenna system under the new agreement, and the neural host network will provide upgraded connectivity for any cell phone user, not just AT&T customers, David Horton, vice president for Information Technology and chief information officer at Penn State, said in a news release.

The upgrades will completely replace older technology installed in Beaver Stadium by AT&T in 2013, providing five times the current coverage and 18 times more bandwidth capacity, according to the university.

“The new DAS will include approximately three times the number of antennas currently deployed throughout Beaver Stadium and will add C-band spectrum to help deliver enhanced wireless coverage and increase network capability across the venue,” Penn State wrote in the release.

Terms of the deal were not disclosed.