Industry News

Tech Stack: Orange Vélodrome, Audi Field and more

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TOTEM, a subsidiary of telecommunications company Orange, has deployed a 5G network at Orange Vélodrome, the home of French Ligue 1 football club Olympique de Marseille.

New antenna infrastructure at the stadium will allow customers of telco operators Bouygues Télécom, Free Mobile, Orange and SFR to utilise the technology. “Connecting an indoor environment to the latest generation of 5G, which can be used by almost 68,000 people at the same time, is a real technical challenge,” said Thierry Papin, CEO of TOTEM France.

“To connect the Orange Vélodrome, TOTEM has built the first network of its kind in France, capable of meeting the connectivity needs of the biggest sports events. The equipment deployed by TOTEM is the same successfully deployed solution at major competitions in the US and will make the Orange Vélodrome the first stadium in France to have such advanced 5G connectivity.”

Xtract One Technologies, an artificial intelligence-driven threat detection and security technology provider, has been signed up to install its SmartGateway patron screening solution at Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium, a 58,000-capacity stadium in Memphis, Tennessee. The property is owned by the City of Memphis and is managed by global sports and entertainment company Oak View Group, which sealed a strategic partnership with Xtract One in October 2022.

Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium will deploy SmartGateways in two phases. Phase one, beginning this month, will leverage SmartGateways for the home games of the Memphis Showboats United States Football League (USFL) team.

Thomas Carrier, Oak View Group’s general manager at Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium, said: “The kick-off of the new USFL season was a logical starting point to introduce Xtract One’s SmartGateway screening solutions. It is one of many prevention strategies coming to the venue for the safety and security of fans, teams, talent and staff, which we will continue using throughout the year, including during Memphis Tigers games and for the Southern Heritage Classic and AutoZone Liberty Bowl.”

Audi will showcase its residential HomeStationTM charger and latest generation DC fast public charger technology under the ‘Electrify America’ theme at Major League Soccer franchise DC United’s upcoming Sustainability Night game against Charlotte FC.

The clash this Saturday at Audi Field will feature a range of sustainability initiatives, including education about electric vehicle adoption. There will also be electric vehicle displays at the venue.

The eThekwini municipality in South Africa has agreed to invest R36m (£1.6m/€1.8m/$2m) into upgrading network infrastructure at its Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban.

Upgrades will include cameras, access controls, internet access and ticketing at the stadium, which was built ahead of the 2010 FIFA World Cup in the country.

Image: Noel Bauza/CC0 1.0/Edited for size