Wasps and Ricoh Arena have agreed a seven-figure deal, ten year deal with Ericsson which should improve the wifi performance at the Ricoh Arena in Coventry.
According to a press release, "Ericsson will improve the performance of both the indoor and stadium wi-fi coverage, as well as the stadium’s operations." and the Jaguar Exhibition Hall will be renamed as the Ericsson Exhibition Hall as part of the deal.
The deal also sees 'Ericsson’s LTE broadcast solutions will break down the barriers of mobile data so that thousands of visitors can receive specific, popular content at the same time – known as Small Cell as a Service. This also includes 3D analytical technologies such as Piero that are readily used by sports broadcasters.'
Wasps Group Commercial Director, Luke Organ, added: “This relationship has taken well over a year to conclude however this is a hugely important partnership for our respective organisations to strike. “It will ensure that our sports fans and venue customers experience some of the best connectivity found in any venue in the UK.
“We will introduce innovative cost-efficiencies, new offerings and functionalities and enhanced end-user experience. There are huge opportunities to exploit and we look forward to developing and announcing these in the near future”.
Valter D'Avino, Head of Region Western & Central Europe at Ericsson, says: “We believe Small Cell as a Service is the most efficient, cost-effective means of enhancing connectivity in stadiums.
“We’re pleased that Wasps has become the first rugby club to take advantage of Small Cell as a Service, and we have some very exciting ideas about how to evolve our new partnership in the years to come by introducing other innovative solutions from our portfolio. Together we will make the Ricoh Arena one of the most technologically advanced venues in the United Kingdom.”