As proud sponsors of Wimbledon, the Welsh Rugby Union and Principality Stadium, at Vodafone, we know first-hand that sporting events are no small feat to pull off and can place significant demand on the network.
Thankfully, the world is waking up to the power of 5G and realising how it can transform sporting events for venues, merchants, and fans alike. In fact, the International Olympic Committee is already leveraging the power of AI in this year’s Paris games. However, beyond athlete analytics and live-action replays on TV, many people are still unaware of the exciting role tech, particularly 5G, can play in their favourite sports.
Why 5G is better than 4G and 3G at sporting events
We know that fans use their phones to meet up with friends, capture match highlights on social media, share their experience with friends and families who can’t make the event, and plan their journey home – but everyone doing this at once puts the network under pressure, which is added to by the venues and merchants needing to operate tills and payment machines.
That’s where 5G comes in. 5G is the latest generation of wireless technology and offers much faster speeds than 4G, as well as a more reliable connection and low latency (bufferless) experience. This means more phones and devices can be connected in the same area without slowing down download speeds, which is crucial in a crowded stadium. And, now that we’ve retired our 3G network in line with the Government’s deadline, its radio waves can be used to bolster the 4G network for even more improved coverage across UK stadiums.
Earlier this year, we installed 5G in Cardiff’s Principality Stadium, a 74,000-capacity venue, in record time for the 2024 Guinness Six Nations Championships. This saw a huge 40% increase in data usage on our network at the Wales vs Scotland game compared with the Wales vs South Africa game in 2023 – enough to rewatch the match 360 times over.
Improving connectivity
We’re currently preparing for the rollout of the next generation of connectivity – 5G Standalone: an entirely new, upgraded network that will offer even faster speeds and lower latency, but will also bring exciting new possibilities such as network slicing.
Today, all internet traffic happens on the same network. With slicing, a dedicated virtual slice of the network can be isolated to serve different purposes, this means everyone can access the network without delay or interruption, no matter how busy the crowds get. For instance, a slice could be dedicated to emergency services so they can respond to incidents as quickly as possible; another slice could be dedicated for broadcasters; one for food and drink merchants, and another for fans – putting an end to the dreaded stadium black spots!
We successfully trialled network slicing last year to support ITN in broadcasting The Coronation of His Majesty King Charles III – the first of its kind for UK broadcasting. We were able to help ITN seamlessly broadcast the Coronation live from a jam-packed Westminster to the nation’s TV screens wirelessly without a hitch – a promising blueprint that could be replicated at the likes of the Olympics and the Euros in the future.
Opening up new experiences for businesses
A quicker and greener half time snack and drink:
With thousands of empty stomachs all queuing at once across several events this year, many fans are put off grabbing a bite to eat because of the dreaded queue. That means venues risk losing out on sales during what should be their most profitable period of the year, but that’s where 5G can step in. We recently conducted some modelling with Development Economics which found that 5G-powered technologies could provide a huge economic boost for food and drink vendors, whilst also helping venues reduce their carbon footprint.
Clever monitoring technologies working in parallel with Internet of Things (IoT) technology and the cloud will enable food and drink vendors in stadiums to monitor customer demand and stock levels allowing them to serve more customers with speed during busy periods. What’s more, mobile apps will enable customers to place orders in advance with more customisation options to suit dietary needs.
Let’s take professional rugby as an example; our research shows this could add £24 million to the matchday economy over the next 5 years. In a typical 30,000-seat stadium, this could mean a 42% uplift in revenue from food and drink sales – per fixture.
Using 5G-powered sensors and IoT would also enable food and drink vendors to reduce their carbon emissions on match days, by reducing the energy required for lighting, refrigeration and ventilation of goods. Overall, these seemingly small changes could trim their greenhouse gas emissions on a typical rugby match day by around 450 tonnes of CO2e per season by 2029 – that's the same as powering 14.1 million household TVs viewing a full rugby match.
Unlocking new broadcasting experiences
Sporting events are often looking for ways to boost broadcasting revenues and offer more immersive experiences for fans. Stadiums equipped with 5G will have better broadcasting quality and could facilitate new tech like robotic cameras and sensors in balls and on the pitch for example, which would let fans view the action from their chosen camera angle and get real-time player performance stats on their phone, or even AR glasses.
In the future, enhanced broadcasting on a dedicated and uninterrupted slice of 5G will deliver a virtual reality (VR) or augmented reality (AR) experience to fans who couldn’t make the match or missed out on tickets for sold-out events. In professional rugby, these ‘virtual seat’ sales could generate £115 million worth of ticket sales annually – a 103% uplift on current ticketing income. Overall, 5G-powered monetisation of virtual tickets and game day experiences would add £139 million to rugby per season by 2029.
It’s an exciting time for sports fans as this innovation can soon be at our fingertips thanks to 5G Standalone, which will in turn have a huge impact on the sporting economy. Together, we will ensure that every summer of sport going forward is a win-win for fans, venues and merchants alike!
