NFL’s Tennessee Titans and Verizon to use face biometrics for fan access control

The National Football League’s Tennessee Titans and Verizon have announced they are partnering to verify guest identities using facial authentication for secure access through the 5G Edge Accelerated Access opt-in system along with dozens of 5G Ultra Wideband cell sites at the Nissan Stadium this season.

Verizon’s 2022 deal with Wicket accelerated the deployment of facial recognition ticket entry systems at sports venues that run on Verizon’s 5G network.The opt-in biometric system is already available at the Cleveland Browns’ and Atlanta Falcons’ stadiums.

The end-to-end encrypted system uses facial authentication software to identify a person using an image of a person’s face before granting facility access or ticket redemption. Accelerated Access can provide access control for fans with no interaction needed. It can provide ticket redemption through token-based access that does not require camera calibration.

The system can improve event security by keeping crowd flow safe while reducing congestion and staffing costs by automating check-ins. The cloud-based MEC infrastructure eliminates the need for on-premises servers and comes with the option of opening turnstiles with facial authentication.

The Accelerated Access system is part of a larger 5G investment in more than 75 large public venues throughout the US. It also comes as Verizon launches a managed private wireless network for coach-to-coach communications at 29 NFL stadiums.

The NFL is also testing Wicket’s facial authentication service for credentialed staff at the Cleveland Browns Stadium, with more stadium pilots to be announced this year.

Article Topics

access control  |  biometric authentication  |  biometrics  |  face biometrics  |  facial authentication  |  Verizon  |  Wicket