Wi-Fi is in place and DAS in the works for Rust Belt fans

With a deployment just in time for the kick-off of baseball season, Major League Baseball officials completed installation of a free public Wi-Fi network in Comerica Park, home of the Detroit Tigers.

Building on Wi-Fi previously only available in the press box, Comerica Park now has some 600 Wi-Fi antennas covering the entire venue. Cisco provided the hardware – access points, switching gear and other networking equipment – while Detroit-based Bayview Electric and Professional Communications Services completed the install, according to Crain’s Detroit Business.

The entire build-out is connected via about 26 miles of copper and fiber optic cable.

Also in the works for Comerica Park is a carrier-neutral distributed antenna system, which uses geographically separated nodes to boost cellular service in large in-building scenarios. The DAS installation is being financed by the four U.S. carriers, Sprint, AT&T Mobility, T-Mobile US and Verizon Wireless.

The larger project is part of an agreement between the four carriers and Major League Baseball Advanced Media, a subsidiary of the MLB that is charged with digital services. The MLB’s digital arm works in deploying infrastructure along with holding the rights to baseball-related media content. The company distributes some 25,000 live events annually and boasts some 10 million video streams every day.

Elsewhere in the Midwest, Ohio-based Cincinnati Bell launched free public Wi-Fi in time for the Findlay Market Opening Day Parade, which celebrates the hometown MLB Reds. The free Wi-Fi is available in Findlay Market, a popular open-air market in downtown Cincinnati, and in Fountain Square.