In Germany, Signal Iduna Park, the legendary home of the Borussia Dortmund football team, says it has become the world’s first stadium to fully deploy O-RAN technology. In a collaboration with SOLiD, 1&1, and Rakuten, this transformation is designed to bring 4G and 5G mobile experience to every one of the stadium’s 81,000+ seats, according to the Mobile Network.
Leveraging O-RAN standards and advanced massive MIMO antennas, the installation addresses the unique connectivity challenges of large-scale venues by enabling seamless interoperability across hardware and software from different vendors. The result is designed to be a high-performance, energy-efficient mobile network that claims to deliver stable high-speed data while minimizing physical infrastructure.
With 30 network sectors across the stands, four in indoor areas, and additional coverage at key entry points, the system includes 48 radio units and 128 antennas in the seating areas, complemented by 60 indoor radio units and 21 antennas with over 25 miles of cabling, including six miles of fiber, to ensure reliable coverage throughout the stadium.
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