Collaborating closely with our partner, Radio Frequency Systems (RFS), we delivered a reliable mobile phone coverage system to Brazil’s sporting venues, including two of the country’s largest stadiums with a combined capacity of over 141,000 spectators.
High availability, reliable wireless DAS and coverage systems across many transport infrastructures; our equipment has been installed in over 70% of metros around the world.
The ChallengeBrazil’s sports stadiums experienced a busy few years as they hosted numerous high-profile sporting events, with the eyes of the world focused on them.
In June 2014, 3.72 million tickets were available for a major highlight in the football calendar, and the country aimed to welcome around 600,000 foreign tourists for the occasion. Sports fans were eager to stay connected with friends and family through social networks and share their experiences in real-time. Ensuring that the host venues had a robust communications network was crucial for the event organisers.
Designing and deploying a network capable of handling the immense number of simultaneous users presented its own set of challenges. Unlike most indoor environments, stadiums are unique, as fans remain largely stationary while using voice and data services. This results in a high volume of uplink traffic as attendees post photos and videos online, leading to significant peaks and troughs in network demand. Additionally, the construction materials used in stadiums and their associated buildings often block RF signals, making seamless signal coverage throughout the entire venue a complex task.
“We were proud to be able to work with the team to bring comprehensive wireless coverage to these world class venues. Thanks to our strong local RFS presence in Brazil and our proven capability and expertise to provide RF design, commission and deployment services, combined with first class products, our solutions are very well suited to such a large- scale and complex endeavour.””
The SolutionWorking closely with our leading partner, Radio Frequency Systems (RFS), we provided cellular mobile phone coverage to major sporting venues in Brazil, including two of the country’s largest stadiums: the Maracanã and the Mineirão, with a combined capacity of over 141,000.We addressed this challenge through a multi-band, multi-operator Distributed Antenna System (DAS) installation, offering 2G, 3G, and 4G services across the venues. Each stadium’s base station hotel was connected to our advanced Optical Master Units (OMU), specifically the OMU Mk. II. This unit converts the Radio Frequency (RF) signal into an optical signal, distributing it via fiber-optic cables to multi-band fiber-fed (MBF) remote repeaters throughout the venues. The optical signal is then reconverted to RF by the remote repeaters and distributed through cables and antennas as part of the DAS, ensuring consistent coverage across all key areas of the stadium. Our design and installation team worked closely with contractors and mobile operators, providing essential guidance and support during installation. This collaboration ensured that the networks were optimized to deliver the coverage needed. Designing and installing wireless coverage in a stadium environment comes with unique challenges. Our experience deploying one of the world’s most sophisticated Fibre DAS networks for the London 2012 Olympic Games prepared us well for these projects, enabling us to deliver a world-class communications system that supported fans during Brazil’s major sporting events.
The BenefitThe venues were equipped with world-class Fibre DAS systems, enabling visitors at high-profile sporting events to seamlessly connect to the internet and share their experiences with friends and family without experiencing network issues. The system efficiently distributes 2G, 3G, and 4G coverage throughout the venues. Designed to be future-proof, the system allows for quick and easy upgrades and additions, minimising disruption when adding new sectors or equipment. As Brazil stepped into the global spotlight for sporting events, mobile operators, stadium owners, and organising committees could trust that they had a reliable cellular communications system for all attendees
Scalable, reliable, and efficient network coverage, enabling large-scale deployments and seamless multi-user collaboration for enhanced performance and troubleshooting.