A total of 15 National Basketball Association (NBA) franchises, including the Los Angeles Lakers, the Golden State Warriors and the New York Knicks, have signed multi-year agreements with telecommunication giant, Verizon, to become their exclusive 5G partners respectively.

Verizon have announced that its 5G network has now been used at over 60 stadiums and arenas, using an “Ultra Wideband” network, seen in the National Hockey League (NHL), and will enable franchises to provide their fans with more immersive experiences.

The deal will also allow stadiums and arenas to use next generation solutions for operational purposes around public safety, access, concessions and crowd management.

Speaking on the announcement, vice president of device technology for Verizon, Brian Mecum, said this deal is logical, considering the changing nature of fan experiences in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“As fans return to live events, the need to reimagine the in-arena experience and operations has accelerated and 5G “Ultra Wideband” is a critical component,” Mecum said.

“The deployment of 5G in these arenas is the foundation for unlocking future fan experiences and solutions for venue operations,” he said.

The news of the company’s new NBA partnership comes as Verizon unveiled they have been testing its 5G “Ultra Wideband” on players from the NHL, giving ice hockey fans real-time player stats when they point their phone at the action in the rink, using an augmented reality (AR) computing platform.