Philadelphia Eagles to offer free Wi-Fi, NFL Red Zone at Lincoln Financial Field

There's been a growing belief that the experience of watching a game on a 50-inch screen from the comfort of your own couch trumps the experience of watching a game live.

One of the reasons for that is the invention of the Red Zone channel, which offers live look-ins to every game around the league.

The Eagles, however, are hoping to keep fans at the stadium, and sent out a press release Tuesday morning outlining how they plan on doing that.

And it starts on Sunday at the Eagles home opener against the San Diego Chargers.

Here's more from the team release:

Through a partnership with Enterasys Networks, the Eagles have equipped the stadium with the latest high-density Wi-Fi technology, improving fans' overall experience with the ability to access the Eagles Mobile App, as well as other social platforms or applications that require an internet connection. The installation is complete and the team will be asking its fans to help test the network throughout the season.

The EaglesFREEWiFi network can be utilized by fans in all areas of the stadium, including the seating bowl, concourse, and club level. Access is as simple as enabling Wi-Fi from the settings menu and selecting the network. Fans who log on to the team's official mobile App in stadium will also be able to enjoy new features:

New Features on Eagles Mobile App

· Fans will have the ability to stream the popular NFL Red Zone Channel live through the App, allowing them to watch action from around the league.

· Live camera view of the player tunnel prior to the game, which will give fans a unique glimpse of the players pumping each other up right before they run onto the field.

· Live stream of the video board, allowing the user to get a better view of the replays that are displayed on the big screen.

· A dynamic stats channel that provides fans with updates from the Eagles game, as well as information and statistics from around the NFL.

· Social media hub, which will make it easy to log on to various popular social platforms including Facebook, Twitter, and others without having to leave the Eagles app.

· Many of the original features remain, including: news, game previews, video clips, photo galleries, fantasy stats, rosters, depth charts, bios, stadium information and much more.

Key Wi-Fi Facts

· Enterasys will provide Wi-Fi access that is made available for free to all fans and across the entire Lincoln Financial Field complex, including the seating areas, club level, suites, press box, locker rooms, and concourse.

· The implementation of Enterasys' IdentiFi wireless solution and OneFabric Control Center management provides centralized visibility and control over the network, giving the Eagles valuable intelligence to more easily roll out new applications and services to improve the overall in-game experience.

· Lincoln Financial Field will be equipped with Wi-Fi throughout the stadium to support the high on-demand traffic of mobile and BYOD users, enhancing the fan experience.

· Enterasys' partnership with the Philadelphia Eagles continues the company's momentum in sports arenas, most recently having successful deployments with the New England Patriots and the University of New Hampshire's Whittemore Center.

· Enterasys delivered the solution with services partner PCM, Inc. (NASDAQ: PCMI), who is leading the overall networking deployment and optimization with the Eagles.

Executive Perspectives

Don Smolenski, President, Philadelphia Eagles

"We have incredibly passionate and loyal fans and we want to make sure we are delivering them the best gameday experience possible. We believe we are taking a step in that direction by fully equipping our stadium with the latest Wi-Fi technology, which will allow those fans to check stats around the league, stream the NFL Red Zone channel and of course log on to the Eagles Mobile App. Enterasys has a proven legacy of working with NFL organizations to transform stadiums into highly interactive, digitally connected venues that take the fan experience to the next level, and we're looking forward to a successful partnership with them."

Chris Crowell, President and CEO, Enterasys Networks

"Our work with the Eagles is an example of a league-wide trend to use technology to improve the fan experience and drive stadium attendance. Today's highly connected sports fan desires the capability to share game experiences in real-time which requires always-on connectivity to do so. Our partnership will bring Lincoln Financial Field into the next generation of connected stadiums."

John Brams, Director of Venues and Hospitality, Enterasys Networks

"We continue to see a tremendous amount of interest in improving the in-game experience through high-density Wi-Fi at both the collegiate and professional level. These organizations realize they need to offer a richer experience at games. In addition, teams are looking for valuable insight from the network into what fans need and how to provide a better experience for those at the venue."