Cellnex Telecom rolls out a “small cells” network to provide broadband to all spectators at the Wanda Metropolitano stadium in Madrid

At the new stadium of ‘Atletico de Madrid’

The company will install a unique and exclusive network of small cells, based on DAS (distributed antenna systems) technology able to provide service to the various mobile voice and data network access operators

• The agreement reached with Atlético de Madrid will equip the new stadium with mobile broadband coverage (2G, 3G, 4G and 5G in the future).
• The new Wanda Metropolitano will be the first stadium in Spain capable of offering a real mobile broadband experience, with sufficient upload and download capacity for audiovisual content, to the 68,000 spectators that could fill this new Madrid icon.
• The network will be operational and accessible to voice and data operators and their customers as of September. The contract signed with the Club will last ten years.
• Cellnex already rolled out this technology in soccer stadiums such as San Siro in Milan, Juventus in Turin, Olimpico in Rome and other major infrastructures such as the Milano0, Genova or Brescia undergrounds, the Milan hospital network or the historic centre of the Italian city.

Madrid, 17 July 2017. Cellnex Telecom will equip the Wanda Metropolitano stadium, the new “home” of Club Atlético de Madrid, from the 2017-2018 season, with multi-operator mobile broadband coverage, thanks to the agreement signed between both parties. Cellnex has already concluded agreements with several operators that will offer their customers access to 4G broadband voice and data services from the outset – and 5G in the future.

The roll-out of this infrastructure in the Wanda Metropolitano will improve user experience and avoid the network outages that usually occur in areas of high connectivity demand due to the large number of simultaneous users.

This solution is a pioneer in Spain and will serve the up to 68,000 spectators that can fit into Atlético’s new stadium. This will be achieved through a unique and exclusive network of up to 250 antennas, remote units, fibre network and equipment located in the technical room. The agreement with Atletico de Madrid will last ten years.

The Wanda Metropolitano stadium project is a flexible and neutral solution for voice and data operators operating in Spain and is also scalable in anticipation of data traffic growth. Through a single shared network of antennas and equipment, Cellnex Telecom will offer 2G, 3G and 4G coverage to all operators wishing to offer this real broadband and mobile service to their customers.

The technical solution is modular (by sectors) which makes it possible to switch and modulate capacity to guarantee maximum performance to users in the stadium, both in football matches with the audience concentrated in the stands, and in other types of events and shows that could be held in the Wanda Metropolitano.

The project involves the installation of about 250 antennas, 25% will be located in the pitch and outdoor areas, while the rest will be installed in other indoor areas od the stadium.  The solution, which will comprise 106 remote units in all, organises the Wanda Metropolitano into 39 sectors, of which 24 are grandstand, four on the pitch, five correspond to the inner area of the stadium, and another six outside.

The main advantages involve Cellnex providing a one-stop-shop for all voice and data operators, solution engineering, supply and roll-out of common infrastructure (mimicking the environment) and service maintenance and guarantee with minimum consumption.

Cellnex Telecom also brings to the project its experience in similar solutions rolled out in large stadiums in Italy, such as San Siro in Milan (80,000 spectators, 107 remote units and 165 antennas) or the Juventus Stadium in Turin (41,000 Spectators, 38 remote units and 91 antennas).

About Cellnex Telecom

Cellnex is the main independent European operator of wireless communications infrastructure, with a total portfolio of more than 21,000 sites, including the DAS (distributed antenna systems) nodes managed by CommsCon and the assets that are currently being integrated in France.  In 2016 Cellnex Telcom obtained revenues of € 707 million (+15%) and EBITDA of € 290 million (+23%). The company is present in Italy, Spain, France, the Netherlands and the UK.

Cellnex’s business is structured around three areas: Mobile telephony infrastructures; audiovisual broadcasting networks: and security and emergency service networks and solutions for smart urban infrastructure and services management (smart cities and the “Internet of Things” (IoT).