How 5G and private networks are making stadiums smarter and events more engaging
Smart stadium showcase: The 5G Stadium lab in France’s National Velodrome
Imagine being in the center of the track with the cyclists flying by you – or being on-stage with your favorite band, or rewatching the match-winning point from any angle you choose. With the latest smart stadium technologies, backstage virtual tours moments before the live concert, real-time game-day stats, and immersive VR and multi-angle viewing is all possible, providing you with an enhanced VIP experience right from your seat in the stadium. These new capabilities combine an already amazing live event experience with enhanced viewing options for truly unforgettable experiences.
As time goes on, it’s these kinds of experiences today’s audiences will come to expect: connected, digitally-enhanced and augmented by modern technologies. To keep fans coming back to the venue and to attract the biggest events and performers, stadium operators will need to offer more than a venue. Competitive stadiums must act as connected cultural centers, providing enhanced entertainment and empowering vendors, event organizers and staff with the next-generation tools to stage unforgettable experiences that keep people coming back for more, and help host organizations extend their events and brands beyond the arena.
At Nokia in France we helped build just such a stadium experience — equipped with a robust and ubiquitous 5G private wireless network — in partnership with the city of Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines in France and a prestigious ecosystem of partners from telco, TV broadcast, IT and the French tech community*. The National Velodrome serves as the host arena to the 2022 Tissot UCI Track Cycling World Championships. The event will provide enhanced viewing and entertainment experiences for everyone from fans and athletes to organizers and broadcasters. As an event sponsor, Nokia could not be more excited to offer audiences and athletes a live experience of the 5G-enabled smart stadium experience.
*Thanks to 5G Stadium Lab Partners:
Tissot, UCI, FFC, SQY, National Velodrome, UCPA, Bouygues E&S, Velopolis
Telecom: Orange Events, Qualcomm
TV Broadcasting: France.TV, Eurovision, XD-Motion, AVIWEST (HAIVISION), VoGo, Augmented Acoustics
eSport: Kinomap
Superlative streaming video
With strong 5G connectivity throughout, Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines’ National Velodrome is equipped for the highest quality of streaming video. Powered by the Nokia 5G mmW uplink of 1Gbps and a 5GcmW standalone private network, a TV wall in the Nokia’s hospitality zone broadcasts footage captured by PTZ and cable 4K cameras from XD-Motion and France.TV with 5G devices from AVIWEST, Nokia HMD, powered by Qualcomm, which Nokia customers can control remotely and in real-time.
All these videos will be simultaneously broadcasted on International TV channels thru France.TV and Eurovision networks.
A multi-media stream enhanced for tablets and VR helmets will enable an immersive live experience with Orange Events’ Multicam app powered by three 360-degree cameras (one camera in 8K) suspended over the stadium.
Through the VOGO Sport app, viewers can choose on their smartphone or tablet their camera angles and enjoy broadcast-quality live footage with near-zero latency.
Beyond video
The National Velodrome offers more than superior streaming video. SupraLive audio lets spectators choose and mix different audio streams, from color commentary in different languages and from different perspectives to the sounds of the race itself — all over their smartphones and with no latency.
Using a connected 5G camera from Orange Events, official photographers can upload their photos manually or automatically to a server for VIP guests in the hospitality area.
Immersive experiences
The stadium’s powerful network backbone will also enable a variety of immersive experiences.
Through the VOGO Sport app, users can access an augmented-reality overlay from XD-Motion of the video stream that displays stats, sport data and results coming from UCI Tissot. A mobile 5G camera from Orange Events circulating backstage can capture high-definition footage of warm-ups, medal ceremonies and interviews, which fans can watch on their smartphones, tablets or even a VR headset.
Bringing fans even closer to the action, thanks to Kinomap, a state-of-the-art e-cycling room lets users take virtual laps around the track on stationary bicycles facing a massive screen that displays footage from the arena.
Smarter stadiums, unbeatable events
Today’s stadiums, arenas and venues can be more than just a space or stage. The innovations on display at Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines’ National Velodrome are just a sampling of the unique experiences that are made possible with the support of a powerful, robust network backbone and ubiquitous 5G private wireless connectivity.
Stadium operators can deliver truly immersive, digitally enhanced experiences that draw in fans and event organizers alike.
And beyond the immersive experience, the same robust network supports video and data sharing help improve situational awareness for security and safety teams. Real-time data collection from 5G-connected wearable technologies also help the sports organizations analyze performance for future events. Pervasive connectivity and slicing capabilities provide enhanced operational support for everything from smart trash collection to financial transactions for retailers and concessions, and enhanced automation for stadium supply chain operations and more.
The National Velodrome at Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines is the perfect 5G stadium lab to experiment and explore the possibilities of advanced 5G applications in a stadium environment. We hope it will inspire many more venues to take a closer look at what these technologies have to offer — and enable an unforgettable experience for fans at the 2022 UCI Track Cycling World Championship.
Learn more about how Nokia can help enable smart stadiums, arenas and venues.
