Featured image credit: Hannes Kocholl on Unsplash
Telecommunications company 1&1 has completed its rollout of 5G technology at Signal Iduna Park, home of Bundesliga club Borussia Dortmund, ahead of this summer’s UEFA European Championship in Germany.
1&1, Dortmund’s main shirt sponsor, operates the first mobile network in Europe based on open RAN technology. It has fitted 5G technology at Signal Iduna Park ahead of Euro 2024, which takes place from June 14 to July 14.
The technology will enable a high data transmission rate and ensure a stable connection before, during and after games. MIMO (multiple input, multiple output) antennas have been fitted at the stadium to achieve the simultaneous transmission of multiple data streams via the same radio channel.
The technology was successfully tested during Dortmund home matches earlier this month and is now fully functional in time for Euro 2024. For the network planning, the stadium was divided into 24 outdoor sectors, four indoor sectors and two sectors to cover the north entrance and car park.
Outside, the network includes 48 active radio units, which are connected to 128 antennas. Additionally, 87 active radio units for 5G and 4G, and 21 passive antennas for the first two floors, have been fitted inside the stadium.
The networking uses hundreds of cables between 15 and 200 metres long. The cables are distributed through four small technical rooms on each floor, and in total over 10 kilometres of fibre optic lines and 30 kilometres of cable were laid in the stadium.
Ralph Dommermuth, chief executive of 1&1, said: “With the commissioning of the world’s first open RAN stadium, 1&1 is once again putting an exclamation mark on innovative mobile communications solutions.”
Signal Iduna Park will host six matches during Euro 2024, including a round of 16 fixture and a semi-final. The final will be held at Berlin’s Olympiastadion.
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