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NVT to connect Birmingham 2022, FC Köln links up with Deutsche Telekom

Scottish technology company NVT Group has agreed a partnership with the organising committee of Birmingham’s 2022 Commonwealth Games, while German Bundesliga football club FC Köln has signed a deal with telecommunications provider Deutsche Telekom.

Glasgow-based NVT has been named the official IT services provider for the Commonwealth Games having previously provided IT design, technology integration and support services for the likes of the 2014 Glasgow Commonwealth Games, the Ryder Cup at Gleneagles in 2014, the 2015 European Games in Baku and the 2018 European Championships, which took place in Berlin and Glasgow.

NVT will deliver IT services for Birmingham 2022 in conjunction with a partner based in the English host city. NVT is seeking to use Birmingham 2022 as an opportunity to engage with West Midlands-based technology firms and showcase integration and management technology.

Hamish Fraser, group managing director of NVT, said: “Birmingham 2022 is the biggest sporting event to be held in the UK since the London 2012 Olympic Games, and we’re eager to work with our partners in the West Midlands to help deliver a magnificent sporting and cultural event. We are absolutely committed to helping deliver for the people of Birmingham an event of which they can be proud and which will live long in their memories.”

NVT will deploy an integrated infrastructure monitoring and reporting technology called Concepta, which has helped maintain the flow of information at five previous major sporting events. The system instantly identifies where IT support teams are most needed as well as monitors key IT systems across all competition and non-competition venues using a contextually-aware alert system.

Support will also be provided by another of NVT’s product suite, Viia, the private cloud platform that will host the data generated on each venue. Fraser added: “The unique technology we use has been tried and tested across the world at major sporting events, but we’re eager to share it with local firms as a means of leaving a legacy imprint at Birmingham 2022 and helping British technology remain at the cutting edge of global communications infrastructures.”

Meanwhile, under an initial three-year contract that will commence from the 2021-22 season, Deutsche Telekom has become Köln’s exclusive partner for telecommunications and technology.

Deutsche Telekom will support Köln and its over 111,000 members in realising their digital projects. In addition to infrastructure, Telekom said innovative formats and content are to be developed and implemented.

Klaus Werner, finance director at Telekom Deutschland, said: “Together with FC we want to develop exciting and innovative applications for the fans. The future is digital and football would be unthinkable without digitalisation. We want to make a completely virtual game with a very special experience of being part of the action possible for the fans.

“Technologies like augmented or virtual reality will make this a special experience. Thanks to our 5G mobile network, the data is transmitted in real time. So the fans will be able to experience a digital 360-degree stadium.”

FC Köln managing director Alexander Wehrle added: “As a further partner at the main partner level, Telekom will not only be present at our home games in the RheinEnergieStadion, but will also help shape our digital presence. 

“Together we will transfer our technical infrastructure to the cloud, and Telekom will also host our app and online platforms in the future. But the cooperation includes even more. We will bundle our ideas and show in an innovation venture how football can be experienced in the future. 

“We know Telekom through our joint commitment as a shareholder in esports at SK Gaming and we are very much looking forward to the cooperation.”

Image: NVT