In 2018, Russia hosted the FIFA World Cup, and several new stadiums were built for it.
The supplier of equipment for providing spectators with wireless Internet access at the stadiums was Huawei, one of the world's largest telecommunications companies.
The supplier of equipment for providing spectators with wireless Internet access at the stadiums was Huawei, one of the world's largest telecommunications companies.
According to FIFA requirements, all championship stadiums must have a wireless Wi-Fi network to provide all fans with unhindered access to the Internet.
One of the stages of the implementation of the project for the deployment of a wireless Internet access network is the design and selection of types of antennas and their locations. The solution to this problem at the stadiums in Samara and Saransk was provided by ICL Services with the assistance of Huawei. ICL Services is a Huawei's service partner in the field of server and network equipment support services.
The main goal of the project was to provide Internet access to all spectators in two stadiums with a capacity of 45,000 people.
Key Challenges
- Create a stadium model and a radio signal propagation model in a short time, taking into account industry standards and requirements.
- Use the model to determine the number of access points, optimal antenna locations, as well as antenna types and directions.
- Prepare drawings for the installation and commissioning company to mount the equipment and "launch" the wireless network.
- Provide consulting services for contractors who have installed and commissioned equipment.
Solution
Implemented our solution
- The work began from the preparatory stage. Our experts received drawings of the stadium and, using specialised software, prepared models showing walls and other obstacles that affect the propagation of the radio signal.
The next stage was to create a model for the propagation of the radio signal and select the optimal locations for antennas, as well as antenna types and directions. It is worth considering that this problem is partially solved by specialised software, but the algorithms of the software cannot take into account all the restrictions on the installation of equipment, the possibility of laying cables and the features of the stadium such as the high density of the wireless network users. Therefore, the involvement of engineers with experience in designing wireless networks was important for the placement of antennas.
To ensure the required coverage and data rates, ICL Services, under the leadership of Huawei, selected different types of antennas and determined their future locations. The total number of access points at each of the stadiums was about 600.
Based on the models, technical documentation was developed for engineers performing installation and commissioning, so that they could clearly understand at what points what equipment needs to be installed.
The task was made more difficult by the tight construction deadlines, so design and implementation had to be done in close cooperation with the stadium builders in order to constantly adapt to the current situation. So, for example, in order to complete the project on time, ICL Services took over the installation management and helped manage the communication between the developer and the vendor.
Since the installation of wireless networks is directly related to other IT systems, ICL Services began to help with the management and control of the installation of all stadiums' IT systems, network and server infrastructure, SCSs, switching equipment, as well as backup power supplies.
In general, the entire process from receiving an application for the project to launching the network took 4 months.
Products and technologies
- High Definition Wi-Fi
Results
- All work was completed on time to timely mount the equipment and launch the network.
- The technical solution based on Huawei products made it possible to meet the planned number of equipment units.
- There were no complaints from spectators and media in relation to the performance and quality of the wireless network.