The Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) has partnered with Ericsson and Telstra to install and switch on 5G connectivity at the stadium.
To support up to 100,000 fans using mobile devices at the iconic venue, the communications partners (who have previously installed 3G and 4G networks at the MCG) have delivered the greater capacity bandwidth solution to enable faster browsing, downloads and uploads.
The AFL 2019 Grand Final clash between Richmond Football Club and Greater Western Sydney Giants will be the first event to see the 5G network in action.
Following the Grand Final, Telstra and Ericsson engineers will continue to test and refine 4G and 5G coverage weekly to evaluate the engineering deployment design and optimize future deployment solutions at the MCG.
“The speed and capacity of 5G is great on days like the AFL Grand Final. On match day last year, we saw a massive 3.8 Terabytes of data sent over Telstra’s mobile network at the MCG – equivalent to 1,200 hours of HD video content. There are also benefits for customers using 4G, as the underlying network is also enhanced by the installation of the latest technologies,” said Nikos Katinakis, group executive, networks and IT, at Telstra.
Emilio Romeo, head of Ericsson Australia and New Zealand also added: “Following soon after the launch of 5G commercially in Australia, this collaboration with Telstra and MCC is another example of industry working together to drive 5G advancement and respond to growing demand for increased data and enhanced experiences, and ensuring Australia remains at the forefront of telecommunications technology.”
