Real Madrid inks tech deal with Telefonica

Article by Coliseum, published August 19, 2019

Image: Real Madrid

Real Madrid and Telefonica have signed an agreement whereby the operator becomes the club’s technological integrator until June 2023, the Spanish football club announced recently.

The telco will assist in the integration of technological solutions in the different facilities and infrastructure of the club during the next four years, according to a press release by the La Liga team.

“We are proud at Telefonica Spain that Real Madrid trusts us and our capabilities to be the club’s integrator. It is a special day. We have started on a very exciting path for the coming years, with two large companies that are going to work together to confront and take advantage of the opportunities that the technological change we are experiencing offers us,” Emilio Gayo, CEO of Telefónica Spain, said in a statement.

While specific details of the partnership were not revealed, Spanish newspaper El Pais noted that it will be similar to deals Telefonica struck with Atletico de Madrid and Barcelona in February. El Pais said Telefonica is likely to provide fiber optic technology, WiFi, security services and the incorporation of a big data platform that will boost the fan experience at the new-look Bernabeu.

Earlier in May, Real awarded Spanish building and infrastructure company FCC Construction the contract to handle the redevelopment of the Bernabeu. Real deemed the proposal put forward by FCC to be the most economically viable. The club also stated FCC’s proposal was the quickest way to carry the project out, as well as having a construction system in place that minimizes any hindrance to the operating of the stadium and its surroundings during the work.

Real said the timeframe needed to renovate the Bernabeu is 39 months, meaning it would be finished by August 2022, plus an additional four months needed to develop the stadium’s exterior. The redevelopment work will take place alongside the normal sporting calendar and the stadium’s other activities.

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