Verizon Boosts Indy 500 5G Network, Promises Gigabit Speeds for Race Day

The Indianapolis Motor Speedway is gearing up for the Indy 500 race scheduled for May 24, 2026, and Verizon has completed a months-long upgrade of its 5G network around the venue. The carrier says the enhancements will support download speeds above one gigabit per second for spectators on site.

To cope with the expected crowd of over 350,000 fans, Verizon installed 33 small cells at the main entrance gates to speed up digital ticket validation. Across the 559-acre track, 240 mmWave nodes were placed, complemented by 219 high-capacity antennas. In addition, nearby macro cells were updated to the latest 5G NR standards.

Field tests conducted before the event showed that the mmWave nodes can deliver download speeds exceeding 1.0 Gbps, with peak measurements reaching 2.5 Gbps under favorable signal conditions. These results come from drive-test measurements taken at various points around the oval and infield.

Last year’s race generated about 61 TB of mobile data as fans streamed video, uploaded photos and used the official Indy 500 app for live timing. With paper tickets largely replaced by mobile passes, reliable connectivity at the gates is essential to avoid entry bottlenecks.

For attendees, the upgraded network means smoother high-definition video streaming, faster uploads of race-day content to social platforms, and better performance for augmented-reality features that the Indy 500 app may offer. Verizon also notes that the increased capacity should reduce congestion during peak moments such as the start of the race and the victory parade.

Looking beyond this single event, the infrastructure upgrades leave a lasting 5G footprint that can benefit other large gatherings at the Speedway, including concerts and festivals. Verizon says the experience gained here will inform similar deployments at other venues across its network.