London St. aim to become ‘most connected venue’

Article posted by Coliseum, November 27^th, 2019

Image: MJR Group Ltd. / Coliseum

London Stadium has engaged the services of O2 Business and Cisco to deliver the fastest free stadium Wi-Fi in the UK. The facility has embarked on the plan to provide an enriching experience to sports and entertainment fans. The arena aims to become Europe’s most connected stadium.

The full launch will take place in February 2020 and as part of the introduction, the pilot experiment will be done during November and December.

The Wi-Fi network of London Stadium will provide fastest Internet service to every fan in the grandiose multipurpose venue. It will allow users on any network to remain connected throughout every event day.

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London Stadium has undergone a massive spruce-up. As part of the spruce-up work, the arena’s original fiber backbone infrastructure from London Olympics 2012 has been enhanced with new high-speed data cabling. O2 Business has designed, installed and tested the new Wi-Fi access points. The new Wi-Fi access points use technology which is in use at the O2 Arena, Twickenham Stadium and Coca-Cola London Eye.

Remarks Graham Gilmore, CEO, London Stadium, “It’s our ambition to be the most connected stadium in Europe, and the delivery of super-fast Wi-Fi is just the beginning of these plans. We’re committed to providing a world-class event day experience all year round, whether you visit London Stadium to watch Premier League football, Major League Baseball, international athletics, or an amazing concert, our goal is for fans to have access to the fastest Wi-Fi of any stadium in the UK, direct from their seats.”

Katy Liddell, Director of Business Sales & Service, O2, comments, “We’re very proud to be working with London Stadium to deliver fast, free, high density Wi-Fi in such an iconic, multipurpose venue. We know how important it is for people to rely on consistent connectivity, wherever they are – and we’re looking forward to helping sports and entertainment fans benefit from a seamless Wi-Fi service at every event and fixture.”

Karren Brady, Vice-Chairman of London Stadium’s anchor tenant, Premier League football club West Ham United, said she has been informed by the stadium owner E20 that the Wi-Fi infrastructure was being installed and should be ready in January. Brady, while speaking at a West Ham United Official Supporters’ Board (OSB) meeting, said the club was making a “significant contribution” towards the cost.

The one-of-a-kind architecture of London Stadium is also helping in implementing the project. A bespoke overhead antenna design has been set up by O2 Business with the help of the arena’s cantilevered roof and gantry. It has been done with the objective of supporting Cisco’s high-density stadium Wi-Fi hardware, thus making room for blanket coverage for every seat.

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