Background

In 1966, when televisions were still a rarity, more people tuned in to England’s World Cup Victory on the radio than watched it live. By the 2000s, television became the primary medium for sports. Today, smartphones, laptops and tablets surpass traditional TV, enabling multi-screen sports consumption. This digital evolution has revolutionised how sporting stadium owners and operators cater to - and profit from - the mobile coverage demands of all their stakeholders. Boldyn Networks, a leading neutral host provider, delivers advanced shared network infrastructure, allowing sports venues to enhance visitor experiences, generate revenue and ensure safety with state-of-the-art connectivity in high-density environments - proven in over 250 marquee venues worldwide.

Challenges and considerations

Historically, ensuring sufficient coverage throughout a stadium’s offices and executive areas was challenging enough, accommodating the cellular phones and Wi-Fi laptops of permanent admin staff, players, coaching staff, and VIP guests. This challenge was further compounded on match days by the massive surge in coverage demand. The influx of several thousand sports fans, visiting teams and their entourages, as well as police and emergency service personnel, significantly increased the need for robust coverage, especially in open areas.

Now, with the advent of smartphones, not only has the ownership of devices skyrocketed, but the patterns of usage have also fundamentally changed, driving up demand even higher on match days. No longer is a fan’s mobile phone used the hour before the match to organise meeting up with friends, and then immediately after the event to co-ordinate travel (and pub!) arrangements. Today’s smartphone is always-on, configured to automatically update, download and manage information in the background, thereby:

• using up capacity on the network before the owner even starts to operate the device in earnest
• always-busy hub, as it’s the hub for social-media-obsessed supporters who want to…
• ‘graze’ on their phones during quiet times
• post photos, stream live footage, share opinions and commentary in forums
• manage their betting accounts in real-time
• and, yes, still co-ordinate post-match pub arrangements!

For today’s stadium owner, the provision of ‘a decent phone signal’ is more than just a reputational issue for the venue. Uninterrupted access to the internet is vital as:

• a key advertising channel for the stadium
• a key channel for sponsors and associated partner organisations to…
• monetise their social media
• manage online transactions
• and pursue targeted advertising opportunities

Therefore, stadium owners are increasingly focusing on improving cellular coverage within their venues. Each stadium differs in design, location, and layout, presenting unique technical challenges that need to be addressed individually.

As a specialist network design firm, Boldyn brings the worlds of Mobile Operators and Infrastructure owners together to improve capacity.

Solutions and delivery

As a specialist network design firm, Boldynhas an unrivalled breadth of experience in bringing the worlds of Mobile Operators and infrastructure owners together to ensure uninterrupted, reliable high-capacity coverage for sports and entertainment stadia, in particular, when it comes to:

• delivering ultra-high-capacity coverage for the world’s biggest, highest-profile grounds
• tailoring bespoke solutions for the specific needs of an individual stadium
• and delivering flexible, expandable solutions that not only meet today’s requirements but can also adapt to a stadium’s future levels of demand, such as Croke Park