Cisco Connected Stadium Wi-Fi

In July, 2011 Cisco announced the solution for sport and recreation complexes — Cisco Connected Stadium Wi-Fi. This product represents the industry-first solution on the basis of the Wi-fi standard intended especially for places of big accumulation of people, such as stadiums and sports and entertaining arenas. Cisco Connected Stadium Wi-Fi allows thousands of fans in the stands at the same time to use mobile applications and services on the protected wireless network, and owners of stadiums, sports clubs and telecom operators — to receive new sources of income.

In the conditions of the growing popularity of the smartphones and other mobile devices supporting Wi-Fi, more and more visitors of sporting and entertaining events would like to have an opportunity to use a trusted and convenient wireless network. Using the joint configured network, the solution Connected Stadium Wi-fi is provided by a continuous covering of Wi-fi with high capacity for all attendees at an action, including office personnel and representatives of the press. The central solution component is the innovation access point of Cisco Aironet 3500p optimized for work in similar conditions with CleanAir technology.

Aironet 3500p is the first access point of Cisco company created taking into account specific requirements to performance and an external esthetics of the solution intended for places of big accumulation of people. High performance of network is provided with the special directional antenna and a configuration allowing to focus radio waves in a certain area. The access point of Cisco Aironet 3500p is flexibly configured according to features of stadium or the entertaining platform. At the same time thanks to planar construction of the antenna the device is not evident.

The CleanAir technology applied in Cisco Aironet minimizes radio interferences due to detection and elimination of foreign wireless traffic in the field. It considerably expands a coverage of Wi-fi and increases network transmission capacity, giving to the audience access to the wireless services offered by sports clubs, owners of stadiums and service providers.

The personalized mobile services for visitors

The solution Connected Stadium Wi-fi allows service providers to broadcast more effectively video and to transfer data on Wi-fi network in places of big accumulation of people. For the audience it means access to the best mobile services, and for owners of stadiums and operators — new sources of income. According to Robb Hayneman (Robb Heineman), the CEO of Sporting Club (Kansas City), "the solution Connected Stadium Wi-fi allowed us to lower load of mobile networks 3G/4G and to offer visitors the latest services and unique opportunities. All this was not slow to affect sales of tickets".

Other advantage of this solution — an opportunity to use the same network Wi-fi for the solution of the most different tasks. The reliable covering allows to offer the audience really personalized services of a wireless network, including to implement such opportunities as repeated reproduction of fragments of sports meets, statistics of events, information and logistics services, purchase of food and drinks using mobile devices.

Wi-fi networks outside arenas and stadiums

The Cisco company confirms the reputation of the leader of the industry, actively promoting development of the Hotspot 2.0 standard (provides reliable, simple authentication and roaming in Wi-fi network). Cisco and its partners are going to expand practical use of Hotspot technology of the next generation. In particular, Cisco takes part in its tests which this month were begun by the Wireless Broadband Alliance organization within the Wi-fi Certified Hotspot program.