As the Rugby World Cup enters the quarter-final stage this weekend, over a million spectators have walked through the doors of stadiums across the host nation France. By the time the tournament finishes, 2.1 million tickets will have been stamped.
The modern experience of visiting a sporting event means every single one of these people will require mobile connectivity for the duration of their visit.
For consumers, this might mean being able to view and post to social media, or using a mobile app to enter the stadium, easing the logistics of planning their day.
But connectivity is vitally important for stadiums as well. Seamless digital experiences can help create more loyal, engaged fans, which will drive ticket sales.
In a world where people can now watch sporting events from the comfort of their own home, with seamless connectivity to social media, and high-quality viewing and audio experiences, upgrading the live experience to keep pace is vital for the continued success and growth of live sport.
Samuel Buttarelli, VP sales and business development for EMEA and APAC has been working on making that a reality.
“We’ve been working with French stadiums for many years, through previous generations of technology” he tells Capacity.
Working with both MNOs and the stadiums directly, CommScope have been tasked with deploying in building connectivity solutions (IBS) as well as the structuring, cabling and IT infrastructure that supports them.
The Rugby World Cup deployment has seen stadiums upgraded to 5G networks, with all the host venues but Stade De France currently employing the technology. But MNOs and stadiums will also have one eye turned towards the Olympics, which France hosts next year.
“Right now, the 5G penetration is still quite low, in terms of the handsets that can connect.” Buttarelli explains.
The primary goal is to improve capacity and latency, and CommScope are also seeing ambitions to reduce the number of fans per sector to 1,500, a significant improvement.
What technology is used?
“Considering the scale and number of people we are trying to serve in these stadiums, distributed antenna systems (DAS) is the most viable solution,” Buttarelli says.
DAS are used to provide high quality cellular coverage in an indoor or outdoor space by installing a network of small antennas to serve as repeaters. These antennas are connected to a central control system which is in turn connected to the MNO’s base station.
CommScope are working on deploying a digital DAS solution in partnership with Nokia that provides a configuration for mobile network operators (MNOs) to connect directly to Nokia’s baseband.
“Normally the limiting factor of deploying a DAS solution is that you have a base transceiver station signal that requires a lot of power, and is sent through the DAS. The solution we are deploying in France using a Nokia seeded interface can reduce the power consumption and also the physical space required”.
“You wont believe this, but probably the biggest challenge we face deploying these solutions is finding the right space for all of the hardware!”.
In terms of the specific antenna that is used, CommScope are working with MatSing Antenna, which Buttarelli describes as a highly sophisticated antenna with a very focused beam. This is important because any interference across sectors of the stadiums reduces capacity.
Network requirements change throughout the event
Using n78 (the most common frequency band for 5G) and MIMO (multi-input, multi-output) high-density solutions, CommScope are directly enabling greater fan experiences.
“Stadiums are unique in a number of ways. The amount of capacity you install always relates to the amount that is used. And the pattern of the uplink and downlink traffic is also far more dynamic than in other deployments”
For example, during a game there is more likely to be downlink traffic, but before it starts or at half time, there will be more uplink traffic, as people are uploading their pictures to social media. During the game itself, fans are more likely to be downloading small videos of highlights to get a better view, and replicate the digital enhancement of the game they would have access to at home.
“Having the right capacity and flexibility in your system is essential to being able to support this” Buttarelli says.
The stadiums are also being used for other events that require connectivity beyond the Rugby World Cup.
For example, the Marseille Velladrome just played host to the Pope, who held a mass for tens of thousands of people. These events also require different network configurations, making the flexibility and power savings that can be secured from Digital DAS even more vital.
Software to monitor and optimise power efficiency is installed in vendor equipment from Nokia and Ericsson, but also the DAS itself. This allows power input to be turned down when traffic is low.
The role of neutral hosts.
The majority of investment in connectivity in stadiums in France as been led by the countries major mobile network operators, specifically Bouygues Telecom, Free Mobile (Iliad), Orange and SFR.
The deployments are carried out in an MNO shared-capex model, with one MNO making a direct investment and making the network available to the other operators.
“This is in contrast to what we see in other European markets, such as the UK” Buttarelli says.
“There, we see more neutral host deployment, which opens up the network for more use cases, especially for the stadium owners themselves.”
A neutral host is a third party that pays for and deploys the infrastructure required for a network, and then rents it to potential users, such as the MNO, or a private network for the stadiums security team.
“In France, because the MNO’s are taking the lead on the investment, the networks are more designed for their commercial use cases and connecting customers to 4G and 5G signals. In France you are more likely to see the stadiums using technology like Wifi or secure communication networks for their own use cases.”
But there are signs this is starting to change.
Orange were responsible for the deployment of the IBS in France’s Velodrome stadium, but has since passed responsibility for running this network over to its new digital infrastructure subsidiary TOTEM, which was founded in 2021.
“The neutral host model can simplify the commercial model for MNOs, as they are all working with a third party, and it also allows the stadiums to use the network, as the neutral host is more incentivised to open it up to an additional tenant.”
What’s next?
Connectivity is an enabler for fan experiences, and the possibilities are really only limited to imagination of the stadium owner.
One potential use case that Buttarelli has seen emerge in the US is the potential to order food and beverage directly to a fans seat via an app.
“We haven’t really seen this evolve yet in Europe, but this is an example of how other markets are taking advantage of the connectivity we can provide.”
As networks become more advanced and can offer even higher capacity and lower latency, use cases such as augmented reality during a match could even evolve, depending on device adoption and evolution.
But definitely not this year. Maybe by the Olympics…
