Verizon looked set for a major private 5G network push in North American sports stadia after agreeing a multi-year sponsorship deal with the US National Hockey League (NHL).

The operator stated a renewed agreement means it will remain the NHL’s official 5G, wireless service and multi-access edge computing partner in the US.  

It plans to launch private 5G wireless network across NHL arenas “to help game day operations rollout new services to advance the sport and improve the overall fan experience”.

Verizon Business is piloting private 5G wireless in several arenas, but is yet to reveal deployment details.

It stated NHL teams would be able to tailor services to meet specific needs on and off the ice.

Use cases include providing information to match officials and coaches, along with various communications options.

There are currently 25 NHL teams in the US and seven in Canada.