London Stadium, the UK’s largest multi-use venue and home to English Premier League soccer side West Ham United, has announced that it will be connecting fans to the fastest stadium wi-fi network in the country.
As part of a deal with network provider O2 and technology company Cisco, the 66,000-seater stadium plans to deliver high-speed, high density wi-fi in the next three months, allowing users stadium-wide to connect for free.
As part of a major improvement project, London Stadium’s original fiber backbone infrastructure from London 2012 has been enhanced with new high-speed data cabling. Designed, installed and tested by O2 Business, the new wi-fi access points use similar technology to that in use at The O2 Arena, Twickenham Stadium and the Coca-Cola London Eye.
The project has been aided by London Stadium’s unique architecture, too. Using the venue’s cantilevered roof and gantry, O2 Business has installed a bespoke overhead antenna design to support Cisco’s High-Density Stadium Wi-Fi hardware, allowing blanket coverage for every seat.
As part of the introduction, the system will be tested during November and December, prior to a full launch in February 2020.
“It’s our ambition to be the most connected stadium in Europe, and the delivery of super-fast Wi-Fi is just the beginning of these plans,” said Graham Gilmore, CEO, London Stadium.
“We’re committed to providing a world-class event day experience all year round, whether you visit London Stadium to watch Premier League football, Major League Baseball, international athletics, or an amazing concert, our goal is for fans to have access to the fastest Wi-Fi of any stadium in the UK, direct from their seats.”
