Andrew brings wireless services to World Cup venues

Andrew Corporation will help German wireless providers ensure connectivity during the World Cup throughout most of the host country’s tournament locations.
Andrew designed, supplied, and installed single- and multi-carrier indoor coverage and capacity systems in nine of the 12 stadiums to be used during the games and in metro rail systems in several of the German host cities.
Most major operators in Germany contracted these systems to ensure enough network capacity to enable the approximately 40,000 to 60,000 visitors per game to call a friend, send a text message or photo, or download highlights from other games without the risk of overloading networks and frustrating users.

“The international prestige of the World Cup requires a world-class solution to ensure that spectators and working journalists enjoy full network coverage,” said Andrea Casini, vice president of Europe, Middle East, Africa sales, Andrew Corporation. “With Andrew’s support, mobile operators in Germany now can seamlessly handle huge spikes in network traffic during the matches, while their customers stay in contact with friends and family during the games, making the spectator experience that much more enjoyable.”

Andrew installed wireless indoor solutions at the following World Cup sites: Olympiastadion (Berlin), Westfalenstadion (Dortmund), Waldstadion (Frankfurt), Arena Auf Schalke (Gelsenkirchen), Fritz-Walter-Stadion (Kaiserslautern), Zentralstadion (Leipzig), Allianz Arena (Munich), Frankenstadion (Nuremburg), and Gottlieb-Daimler-Stadion (Stuttgart). For several metro railways in World Cup cities, such as Stuttgart, Cologne, and Hamburg, Andrew also provided optical multi-operator/multi-band systems of considerable size for distribution of wireless signals down tunnels and throughout stations, much like is done to carry signals to hard-to-reach places inside stadiums.

Andrew’s ION-M distributed antenna and repeater system, the coverage and capacity distribution solution chosen by most of the wireless operators for these World Cup-related projects, supports the GSM900, GSM1800, and UMTS frequency bands. The systems’ basic architecture involves fiber optic and coaxial cables, master and remote units, and other subsystem products that receive and transmit signals from dedicated operator base transceiver station radio equipment to customer handhelds throughout the indoor facility, and vice versa.

“Andrew’s indoor wireless solutions include everything from network planning and system design to equipment supply, installation, commissioning, and maintenance,” said Bob Hudzik, group president, Wireless Innovations Group, Andrew Corporation. “Ensuring wireless customers get coverage in signal-challenged venues such as stadiums at international sporting events, airports and underground rail systems, or large public buildings and convention centers is one of the things Andrew does best.”