24km of new cabling is being laid, along with the installation of around 300 access points. The entire seating area is being covered by 350 directional antennas, allowing around 20,000 people to connect to the WiFi concurrently, supported by a 20 Gb/second fibre backbone running around the stadium.
Eyemagnet will be delivering internet protocol television (IPTV) and content management to the WiFi services. The upgrades will provide the foundation for a more fully-fledged fan experience, which Westpac Stadium plans to deliver over the next year.
Spark’s GM Enterprise Commercial & Trans-Tasman, Vanessa Sorenson, said, “We competed against global companies to be Westpac Stadium’s official technology partner and for us the biggest driver in this was the opportunity to help craft awesome experiences for stadium-goers.
“We’ve seen connected technologies used in amazing ways to enhance stadium experiences overseas, so we’re thrilled now to be involved in bringing this to Wellington.”
The upgrades will provide the foundation for a full-fledged fan experience, which Westpac Stadium plans to deliver later this year. In the meantime, as official technology partner Spark is developing an app that will make immediate use of the upgraded network to provide some initial experience features, such as ordering food and drink and finding transport.