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Basel’s St. Jakob-Park to become 5G smart stadium

Swiss Super League football club FC Basel has detailed plans to transform St. Jakob-Park into a 5G-equipped smart stadium through its partnership with telecommunications company Sunrise.

FC Basel first partnered with Sunrise last year and the two parties have now joined forces to deliver the Sunrise CamCheck innovation, which will give fans the chance to watch matches via the official club app while they are at the stadium.

The technology will enable supporters to choose from four camera perspectives, which can be followed live or rewound in case any action is missed. Sunrise CamCheck will also include slow-motion replays.

The stadium Wi-Fi and Sunrise’s 5G network will allow Sunrise CamCheck to run smoothly. FC Basel said the initiative will form the basis for further innovations in 2021, with the 360-degree live videos and augmented reality applications set to be added into the club app.

Frank Schaffner, FC Basel’s digital director, said: “Our smart stadium partnership with Sunrise will – not least thanks to 5G and IoT – offer stadium spectators a completely new football experience for the home games of FC Basel 1893.

“Of course, even in Switzerland’s first 5G stadium, the football game on the pitch remains the centre of attention. However, the new technology enables us to launch a number of different services that will offer fans added value during the game and improve the match day experience over the long term. Sunrise and FCB are working together to make St. Jakob-Park even more unique and varied.”

Sunrise chief executive André Krause added: “We are the 5G pioneers in Switzerland and Europe and are proud of our pioneering role. With the best network connectivity including the lowest latency times for 5G, we offer private customers the best network for mobile gaming and are also the ideal 5G partner for all business customers.

“We are pleased to be realising the first 5G smart stadium in Switzerland together with FC Basel 1893. Thanks to this strong partnership, we can expand the fan experience enormously, and the CamCheck is only a first reference for this.”

Image: Sunrise