By Patrick Halley, President and CEO, WIA
Recently, I had the opportunity to go behind the scenes at Bethpage Black Golf Course during the Ryder Cup — one of the most iconic sporting events in the world. Thanks to T-Mobile, I got an inside look at how cutting-edge wireless technology transformed both fan experiences and tournament operations.
Bethpage Black is legendary in its own right — a par-71 course that spans more than 300 acres of rolling terrain. It’s the toughest of the five courses at Bethpage State Park, and it’s massive. Connecting a venue of this size — while also supporting tens of thousands of fans, national broadcasts, and tournament operations — is no small feat. But that’s exactly what T-Mobile did. I had the honor to tour the venue with T-Mobile site development team members Jeff Holzinger and Maged Elsharkawy the day before the Ryder Cup started to see how they got it done.
A Smarter, Stronger Network on the Course
To meet the challenge, T-Mobile deployed several Cells on Wheels (COWs) across the property to boost public network coverage and capacity. They dedicated slices of spectrum in the 600 MHz, 1900 MHz and 2.5 GHz bands to make sure fans and vendors had reliable connectivity – made possible by T-Mobile’s 5G Advanced network. And for the photographers, the days of runners and SD cards are gone. With Sony PDT transmitters and network slicing on T-Mobile’s 5G network, photos were instantly uploaded to remote editors nearly in real time.
T-Mobile also rolled out 5G On Demand that used both C-band and millimeter wave (mmWave) spectrum. With 20 C-band radios and nine mmWave radios, it powered applications that would have been impossible just a few years ago. One of the most impressive was the untethered wireless broadcast cameras. Traditionally, wired cameras limited broadcasters to about a 30-foot view of the action. Now, with 5G, we were able to see point-of-view shots from the fairways, greens, sand traps and tee boxes as well as video of the players as they approached the first tee.
On the ground, wireless technology powered nearly every fan touchpoint from ticket taking and concession stands to seat finding and real-time notifications. Fans could use the Ryder Cup mobile app to access Seat Finder, an AI-powered tool that scans live feeds from 50 cameras to help fans find the best grandstand seats or check line lengths in key areas. The app also delivered Roar Moments — AI-generated highlight clips sent straight to fans’ phones moments after they happened, so they never had to worry about missing the action.
The backbone of all of this was T-Mobile’s 5G Advanced network. NBC Sports, the official broadcaster of the Ryder Cup, relied on a dedicated private 5G network for its untethered HDR cameras, drones, wearable Omaha POV cams, and robotic cameras. The result: fans at home were immersed in the Ryder Cup atmosphere like never before.
Operations on the ground also ran more smoothly. Network slicing ensured ticket scanners, payment systems, and the AI-enabled robotic golf ball picker at the driving range stayed connected, even with massive crowds on site.
While wireless technology replaced many traditional connections, fiber still played a big role — especially for critical systems like PGA’s ShotLink scoring. But what struck me most was the potential for future tournaments. As spectrum access expands and devices evolve to fully support mmWave and other advanced capabilities, more of these systems will be wireless — reducing the need to be tethered by a cable. This will open endless possibilities for the fan experience, venue operations and public safety.
What I saw at Bethpage Black wasn’t just a showcase of what’s possible today — it was a glimpse into the future of live sports, where next-generation wireless networks don’t just connect fans, they transform how we experience the event itself.
For me, walking away from the Ryder Cup, it was clear: the power of wireless technology goes far beyond convenience. It’s about creating moments — the roar of the crowd, the view from the tee, the highlights on your phone seconds after they happen — and making sure every fan, whether on the course or watching from home, feels like they’re part of the action.
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