Can You Video Chat Alongside 69,000 World Cup Fans? I Stress-Tested Stadium Phone Service at a Match - CNET

Our gifting experts are obsessively searching for holiday gifts that are unique, thoughtful and suitable for any budget. Our expert, award-winning staff selects the products we cover and rigorously researches and tests our top picks. If you buy through our links, we may earn a commission. Is it possible to make a stadium signal-friendly? What about 16 stadiums across 104 matches? Each year, as the Super Bowl approaches, all three major US carriers announce their latest upgrades to ensure the stadium hosting the Big Game has enough high-speed network capacity to handle the hordes of fans attending with a smartphone in every pocket. But every year, some are left complaining that they couldn’t post their bragging rights live because everyone was trying to send messages, photos and videos all at the same time. Just four months after this year’s Super Bowl, the game’s site in Santa Clara, California, was transformed — its Levi’s logo famously covered up — to host several FIFA World Cup games. For the Paraguay vs. Australia matchup on June 25, it was the fifth time in two weeks that the nearly 69,000-seat arena was packed with fans eager to watch the world’s biggest soccer tournament. Th