Making connections: How stadiums are meeting the ever-growing demand for data and connectivity By Joe OHalloran
Tuesday, June 3, 2025 - 08:30
Print This Story
Stade Orange V lodrome in Marselle being prepared for 2024 Six Nations opening match between France and Ireland in February
Of all the rapidly changing trends witnessed by sports - and in particular their fans - over the past decade, one of the most significant is what has become of sports stadiums. Indeed, it could be argued that the term modern sports stadium' is somewhat old fashioned as the homes of sports teams have evolved into multi-use events facilities.
Any stadium that is being constructed from new or being upgraded is done so with the clear message that the end result won't be what passed before to satisfy fans. The new or enhanced stadium is now a true communications hub, capable of meeting the connectivity demands of those who visit them: that is of the transmission of masses of video content to and from not just fans but also broadcasters, and not just content from sports fans but also those going to music events.
For all sports stadiums, providing a modern, high-quality communications network is very much a team game, principally involving a leading comms operator that not only understands current demands but can demonstrate how to manage the inevitable data explosion. Few countries' sports arenas have had to deal with this issue more than those in France. And as exemplified with its work for the last Rugby World cup and Olympic Games, as well as routine Ligue 1 games few companies have provided solutions to meet this demand more than Orange.
Calling growth in data at today's sports arenas robust' would be very much an understatement. A 2024 study from Ericsson calculated that arena venues had seen a 67% growth in data usage compared with a year previously, noting specifically that fans in stadiums now demand high-performance, robust and reliable mobile coverage to share, interact with and stream content. The next survey will almost certainly see this figure surpassed considerably. At the Stade Orange V lodrome in Marseilles, this will be a certainty.
The home of Olympique de Marseille (OM) - traditionally seen as France's second team behind the enriched Paris Saint-Germain - is unique in that not only does it have naming rights sponsorship from a leading global comms operator, it is also the home of a test bed for mobile and fixed communications technology and services. Orange's relationship with OM really began in earnest in the 4G days of June 2016 as part of a grand strategy to create a totally renovated connected stadium in time for that year's Euros tournament.
Recalling the connectivity demands of the time, Guillaume Chabas, head of innovation at Orange Business and head of the 5G Lab at Orange V lodrome, said the first step was to create something significant with the wireless connection and create and purpose some applications for new usage. In 2016, 4G was the mobile standard but on its own it was not enough. WiFi connectivity had to be implemented to upgrade network capacity because 4G was not enough to meet anticipated network loads.
Six years later just months away from a Rugby World Cup that would see Orange V lodrome act as a key host stadium - 5G had very much entered the room and not just metaphorically. The end of the 2021/22 football season saw fans in the hospitality boxes and premium seats able to make use of the Orange 5G network to see the first use cases that the next-generation mobile infrastructure could support. Indeed, Orange V lodrome was also France's first 5G-equipped stadium, taking advantage of a non-standalone core network that comprised a 3.5GHz mid-band network complemented by experimental mmWave 5G in the 26GHz range. There was also AWS Edge Capacity connected to an experimental 5G area and to a cloud/hybrid edge.
Initial supported technologies and services included virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), video analytics based on artificial intelligence (AI), and real-time monitoring of stadium resources. One of the most impressive and interesting of these was the Augmented Match service, a mixed-reality mobile app developed jointly by Orange and Immersiv.io that allowed fans to access real-time technical and statistical information about the players on the field. This gave the option of data on the players - such as distance ran, goals scored, general pedigree etc - transposed upon the official TV feed of the game for those watching on a smartphone. The players' positions were displayed in real time along with other data, such as shots, dribbles, passes and defence.
The app ran over the experimental 26GHz 5G network along with edge computing, using Computer Vision to detect player position, with 5G ensuring a very high-speed connection, necessary to provide the lowest possible latency to avoid any lag between the actions on the field, AR data and even digital twins of the players.
It's no surprise to discover that Chabas and his team were also actively involved in the 2024 Paris Olympics for which select maritime events were hosted in the nearby marina in Marseilles. In terms of challenges, and indeed environment, the Marseilles nautical events brought about unique conditions for network broadcast. The company leant in on the established Stade Orange fibre network that routinely sees use in transporting high-quality broadcast video during OM home fixtures. A key part of the broadcast service was based on using specially optimised Samsung S24 smartphones as TV cameras directly on boats, supported by an Orange private 5G network.
Fast forward to 2025 and the Orange V lodrome is upping the connectivity ante to stay relevant for today's fans. From the way athletes train to how fans experience the game, tech
North America Stories
19/06/2025
BRUSSELS Mediagenix, a provider of smart content solutions, has announced that it has been selected to supply global broadcaster France M dias Monde (FMM) with ...
19/06/2025
NEW YORK Charter's Spectrum Reach advertising sales division has promoted Dan Callahan to senior vice president and chief revenue officer. He succeeds Jason...
19/06/2025
HACKENSACK, N.J. The European News Exchange (ENEX) added an ad hoc channel to LiveU's Matrix cloud-native IP video distribution platform, used for the first...
19/06/2025
Avid today announced an extended agreement with Amazon MGM Studios to integrate Avid's industry-leading creative tools, Media Composer and Avid NEXIS , on...
19/06/2025
Telestream, a global leader in media workflow technologies, today introduced key innovations in the newest version of Telestream Qualify, a cloud-native quality...
19/06/2025
Limecraft, a leading provider of cloud-based production and delivery tools for the media and entertainment industry, today announced the general availability of...
19/06/2025
Grass Valley, the media and entertainment industry's leading technology innovator, today announced a significant advancement in Greek media production: the ...
19/06/2025
Linear, Live Sports and Playout Origination from Globecast's Newest Facility in Westlake Village, CA
Globecast, the leading provider of broadcast, media an...
19/06/2025
Cobalt Digital, the leading designer and manufacturer of award-winning signal processing products and a founding partner in the openGear initiative, is pleased...
19/06/2025
Lightware Visual Engineering, a pioneer in signal management, has begun rolling out paper-only packaging for its flagship products, heralding another important ...
19/06/2025
Mediagenix, a global leader in smart content solutions to profitably connect the right content to the right audience, today announces that it has been selected ...
19/06/2025
HighField AI, the industry's first multimodal, agentic AI solution purpose-built for broadcast newsrooms, today announced its integration with CGI OpenMedia...
19/06/2025
Amino, a global leader in enterprise video and digital signage technology, today announced that its flagship media player, the H200W with Orchestrate, has been ...
19/06/2025
News agency ENEX, a long-term LiveU customer, has expanded its use of LiveU's Matrix cloud-native IP video distribution platform with the addition of an ad ...
19/06/2025
Broadcast Solutions, one of Europe's largest media systems integration groups, has completed a remarkable project to create an extensive infrastructure at A...
19/06/2025
Relo Metrics and VideoAmp today announced the official launch of Total Sports Performance, a next-generation measurement and attribution solution purpose-built ...
19/06/2025
In today's connected world, constituents expect real-time access to live government proceedings. In the last decade, governments worldwide have responded by...
19/06/2025
Chelsey Green Makes History as Recording Academy Board Chair The violinist, violist, vocalist, and Berklee professor is the first Black woman and youngest per...
19/06/2025
Calibr-Skaggs doses first patient with switchable CAR-T cell therapy in a phase 1 trial for metastatic breast cancer CLBR001 ABBV-461 is a novel, investigatio...
19/06/2025
Two-part vaccine strategy generates a stronger, longer-lasting immune boost against HIV Scripps Research scientists' new approach combines two immune-activa...
18/06/2025
Kasi Lemmons with fellow Daniel Kaluuya at Sundance Institute's 2016 January Screenwriters Lab. Photo by Brandon Cruz for Sundance Institute...
18/06/2025
Sam Feder at Heightened Scrutiny premiere (photo by Robin Marshall / Shutterstock for Sundance Film Festival)
By Bailey Pennick
Editor's note: Since the...
18/06/2025
NEW YORK Warner Bros. Discovery's Max streaming service is making some major updates to its user interface that are designed to improve content discovery an...
18/06/2025
Lionsgate and DirecTV have announced plans to launch the Lionsgate Collection, a free ad-supported streaming channel that will offer programming from the studio...
18/06/2025
BRUSSELS Mediagenix, a provider of smart content solutions, has announced that it has been selected to supply global broadcaster France M dias Monde (FMM) with ...
18/06/2025
LEXINGTON, Ky. The ad rep firm Viamedia has appointed Robert Benoit as its new chief financial officer. Benoit appointment fills a role that has been open since...
18/06/2025
Avid delivers game-changing Splice integration to power music creators with new ...
18/06/2025
Gencom Technology Upgrades Fijian Parliament's Video Monitoring Distribution...
18/06/2025
Nebraska public broadcasters are among the first in the nation to launch a free virtual channel over NextGen TV and the former CTO of Nebraska Public Media wa...
18/06/2025
3D Model Not Showing in After Effects? Fix It Fast with These Tips!
Graham Quince June 18, 2025
0 Comments
Imported a 3D model into After Effects, but...
18/06/2025
COW Job Listing: Video Editor Needed for Special Birthday Slideshow Project
Brie Clayton June 18, 2025
0 Comments
Video Editor Needed for Special B...
18/06/2025
Documentary Storytelling Through Spatial Video with Blackmagic Design
Brie Clayton June 18, 2025
0 Comments
DaVinci Resolve Studio underpins a blend o...
18/06/2025
HUELVA, Spain Alfalite has launched SKYPIX RGBW & IM, a new series of ceiling-mounted LED panels designed specifically for virtual production (VP XR) environmen...
18/06/2025
In an investment that highlights the growing importance of the creator economy and social media influencers, Fox Advertising said it has made a strategic invest...
18/06/2025
1030 WGSF(AM), the longest-running Spanish-language radio station in Memphis, is working to rebuild its transmitter site after it was ransacked in a May copper ...
18/06/2025
NEVADA CITY, Calif. Telestream has introduced new capabilities to the newest version of Telestream Qualify, a cloud-native quality control (QC) solution....
18/06/2025
WASHINGTON The Senate has voted to confirm Republican Olivia Trusty to the Federal Communications Commission, giving the GOP a 2-1 majority and allowing Chair B...
18/06/2025
LOS GATOS, Calif. After nearly two decades of streaming programming into consumer homes, Netflix has announced plans to open Netflix Homes that will provide l...
18/06/2025
NEW YORK Nielsen is reporting that streaming reached a historic milestone in May of 2025 as its share of total television viewing outpaced the combined share of...
18/06/2025
Bostons Dear Summer Mixtape Vol. 3 Features Berklee Artists, DJs, and Producers Created by Mayor Michelle Wu and the Office of Tourism, Sports, and Entertainm...
18/06/2025
June 18th, 2025 TRIBECA STUDIOS AND OPENAI LAUNCH YEAR-LONG COLLABORATION TO SU...
18/06/2025
Technology focus: Fan expectations drive advances in the in-stadium experience By Jo Ruddock
Tuesday, June 3, 2025 - 08:36
Print This Story
For years, att...
18/06/2025
Making connections: How stadiums are meeting the ever-growing demand for data an...
18/06/2025
SVG Venues & Teams Summit Keynote: RWS Global Powers the Stadium Environment at ...
18/06/2025
SVG Rewind: Behind the Scenes of Producing Tottenham Hotspur's Europa League...
18/06/2025
Back to All News
One Man Against All Odds: Ziam' Trailer Teases Thrilling ...
18/06/2025
Project G-Assist - available through the NVIDIA App - is an experimental AI assistant that helps tune, control and optimize NVIDIA GeForce RTX systems.
NVIDIA&...
17/06/2025
Top L-R: The Dating Game, All That's Left of You ( )
Center L-R: Come See Me in the Good Light, Omaha, Rebuilding
Bottom L-R: Selena y Los Din...
17/06/2025
PARK CITY, UTAH - JANUARY 20: River Gallo attends the 2024 Sundance Film Festival Ponyboi premiere at the Library Center Theatre on January 20, 2024, in Park ...
Making connections: How stadiums are meeting the ever-growing demand for data and connectivity By Joe OHalloran 
