LongFi Solutions
Case StudyWorld Cup, Houston
Live Events · East Downtown Houston

LongFi Connect kept fans connected across Houston during the World Cup.

LongFi Connect, with Cambium Networks and the Wireless Broadband Alliance, across East Downtown Houston.

As match-day crowds filled East Downtown, LongFi Connect carried the load. Fans connected automatically, with no passwords and no sign-ups, from the fan festival to the bars and rooftops nearby.

Fans at a Houston sports bar paying by phone during a World Cup match
East Downtown Houston · June 11 to July 19, 2026
400,000+
Automatic connections across East Downtown venues, June 11 to July 19, 2026
14,000
Connections in one day at the Houston Fan Festival, June 12 (USA vs. Paraguay)
500 GB+
Wi-Fi carried that same day, June 12, at the Fan Festival
No friction
Automatic sign-on for compatible devices: no passwords, no sign-ups
The best part of working in wireless is seeing the technology disappear into the background. Nobody at the Houston Fan Festival was thinking about the network, they were focused on the match, their friends, and sharing the moment. Great work by LongFi Solutions.
James RakovanCambium Networks
The Challenge

When a district fills up, phones lose the signal fans rely on.

On the biggest match days, families lose track of each other, a text will not send, and the tap-to-pay stalls right at the counter, the moments that matter most in a crowd.

East Downtown Houston drew fans by the thousands for the World Cup, from the fan festival out to the bars and rooftops nearby. LongFi Connect was there to carry the load and keep guests online through the rush.

Friends lose each other

In a shoulder-to-shoulder crowd, people cannot regroup or check in fast.

Payments and tickets stall

Tap-to-pay and mobile tickets time out at the worst possible moment.

Moments go unshared

Fans miss the chance to film and post the match and the day out.

The Solution

LongFi Connect improves indoor cell connectivity using the venue's excess Wi-Fi capacity.

Across East Downtown, LongFi Connect ran on the Wi-Fi the venues already had. When someone on a participating mobile carrier walked into the coverage area, the phone connected on its own, with no password, no splash page, and no app to download.

  • Runs on the Wi-Fi in place. A configuration on the networks the East Downtown venues already run.
  • Connects on the SIM. Phones attach on their own for compatible devices, with no app and no password.
  • OpenRoaming ready. Because the network already supported Passpoint, adding the Wireless Broadband Alliance identifiers took minutes.
  • Secure by design. Guest traffic is authenticated, encrypted, and kept separate from the venue's own systems.
Fan phones
Connect on the SIM
The venue's own Wi-Fi
Already in place
LongFi Connect
Passpoint layer on the Wi-Fi
Participating mobile carriers
Secure and authenticated
Phones connect on their own, on the Wi-Fi the district already runs.
What Changed On Match Day

The moments fans care about kept working.

A fan connecting automatically on arrival at a Houston World Cup venue
Connected on arrival

Phones attached on their own as fans reached the fan festival and the venues, with no sign-up.

A fan using contactless phone payment at a World Cup fan festival stand
Paid and ticketed

Tap-to-pay and mobile tickets went through, so transactions completed even at peak crowd.

A fan filming the match on a phone in a Houston crowd
Shared the match

Fans filmed and posted the day, sharing the moment without waiting on the spinner.

Fans on their phones in a match-day crowd near the Houston venues
Stayed connected nearby

The crowd spilled into the bars and rooftops close by and stayed online across the district.

The Results

Proven under pressure, across a whole match season.

400,000+
automatic connections across participating East Downtown Houston venues, June 11 to July 19, 2026.
  • 400,000+ automatic connections across East Downtown venues from June 11 to July 19, 2026, made for compatible devices with no guest action.
  • 14,000 connections in a single day at the Houston Fan Festival on June 12, when the USA vs. Paraguay match drew the crowd.
  • 500 GB+ of Wi-Fi carried that same day, June 12, keeping traffic moving for fans and merchants when demand was highest.
  • Automatic sign-on for compatible devices, with no passwords and no sign-ups, from the fan festival to the bars and rooftops nearby.
“When thousands of fans gathered for the USA vs. Paraguay match, connectivity had to perform under intense demand. In 24 hours LongFi delivered 14,000 unique connections and nearly 500 GB of offloaded traffic. Great work by the LongFi Solutions team.” Cambium Networks

Figures reflect LongFi Connect usage across participating East Downtown Houston venues during the World Cup, June 11 to July 19, 2026, in collaboration with Cambium Networks and the Wireless Broadband Alliance. OpenRoaming is a registered trademark of the Wireless Broadband Alliance.

For Venues and Districts

Keep your guests connected at your next big event.

LongFi Connect turns the Wi-Fi you already have into automatic, secure connectivity for high-density crowds, from a single venue to a whole district. A short conversation is enough to see the fit.

Works with business grade Wi-Fi, such as Cisco, Meraki, Aruba, or comparable, and supports participating mobile carriers.

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