Hundreds of thousands of fans attending the Waste Management Phoenix Open (WMPO) rely on their devices to capture, and socially share images and videos of themselves and the world’s best golfers. They are also scanning tickets, accessing venues and completing cashless transactions throughout the course, instantly connecting to #FreeWiFiWMPO from venues including the 16th Hole and the new Pin Hi Club to the Coors Light Birds Nest.

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Meeting those expectations requires seamless connectivity at scale, regardless of location or crowd size. Cox Business serves as the primary network architect and technology backbone for the tournament, delivering the infrastructure required to support the best-attended event on the PGA TOUR.

Nearly every fan-facing and operational system at the WM Phoenix Open runs on the Cox Business network. These systems include digital ticketing, RFID wristbands for entry and age verification, fully cashless concessions and merchandise sales, vendor point-of-sale systems, more than 600 connected televisions and digital scoreboards, and gig-speed fiber connections for media and broadcast operations.

“We’re supporting an extraordinary number of connected devices at any given moment, all capturing and sharing their personal experiences,” said Susan Anable, Phoenix market vice president, Cox Communications. “Our job is to make sure fans don’t miss a beat, whether they’re posting, live streaming, making FaceTime calls, entering a venue with their RFID bracelet or tapping to pay, no matter where they are on the course.”

The Cox Business network delivers 100 gigabits of available bandwidth and supports tens of thousands of simultaneous connections through more than 600 Wi-Fi access points deployed across the tournament footprint, including hospitality venues, concessions and entertainment areas.

Demand varies significantly throughout tournament week, particularly at high-density locations such as the 16th Hole, which can host more than 17,000 fans per day. Cox Business engineers use real-time heat maps and network utilization data to monitor conditions and adjust coverage and bandwidth dynamically as crowd patterns shift.