The challenge of hyperconnecting the new Camp Nou

BarcelonaIn the renovation of Barça's iconic stadium, the civil engineering work has taken center stage, not always without controversy. But above the beams and concrete of the new Camp Nou, the club is also deploying a sophisticated technological infrastructure, both to improve the spectator experience on match days and to support the business model of the future Espai Barça. I asked the club's technical managers, from a medium-sized company with 1,500 employees spread across several locations, to explain the new audiovisual, telecommunications, sports performance analysis, and operational systems at the stadium.

In this age of social media, the most applauded innovation by fans will likely be the improved telecommunications coverage inside the stadium. Until now, the common complaint—common in most large crowds—was the inability to receive or send calls, messages, photos, and videos due to a lack of mobile coverage. Since the existing antennas of the telephone operators in the area are insufficient, Barça has opted to deploy its own 5G network within the new Camp Nou, through the installation of a distributed antenna system (DAS). In the two stands currently in use, there are approximately 300 devices from the SOLiD and CommScope brands. This number of devices will be expanded when the third tier opens. They are distributed across 86 zones (58 in the stands, 16 in the access areas, and 12 in interior spaces) and connected to a data processing center (DPC) located beneath the south goal, where they are linked to the telephone operators' connections. According to Agnieszka Ortiz, head of technology for facilities and Espai Barça, the MasOrange antennas – which also handled the overall integration – and those of Movistar are already active, and the agreement with Vodafone is being finalized. The system should allow each spectator to use their mobile phone normally, as those attending the matches already played have confirmed.

The 5G network radiated by the 300 DAS antennas is of the standalone type (stand alone5G (in English), a technology that would allow, for example, offering different levels of service quality to various user groups; for example, subscribers of a particular company, club members, and spectators who subscribe to a statistics or replay service. However, initially, the 5G at Camp Nou will be neutral, although future commercial agreements are not ruled out.

In any case, Barça has adopted 5G as its preferred telecommunications technology. However, it hasn't abandoned Wi-Fi either, to the point that the new Espai Barça will have up to 3,200 wireless access points; 1,900 of them are in the stands, mostly under the seats. These devices, also connected to the aforementioned data center, are from Aruba, the Hewlett Packard Enterprise subsidiary, which specializes in this type of installation and is acting as the technology sponsor here, with Axians as the integrator. Access to the Camp Nou Wi-Fi network will be free for all spectators.

The 5G network and public Wi-Fi are not the only radio networks active in the stadium. There are at least three more: an internal one for the security personnel's intercoms; One of the TETRA system antennas—from the operator Cellnex—is for security and civil protection personnel, and, interestingly, there is a specific Wi-Fi network for the team benches, which LaLiga requires to be independent of the rest.

It should be noted that a significant portion of these resources are also dedicated to stadium operations, so the various data centers are protected by the cybersecurity of sponsor Fortinet. For example, in the outer access ring, employees validate spectators' tickets with dual terminals (5G/Wi-Fi). Spectators then present their tickets in the inner ring, displaying a QR code on their mobile phones, either in the FC Barcelona Tickets app or the app specifically for members. The 320 ticket windows also have NFC readers—like those used for the T-mobility card on public transport—but they are not in use. There are also no plans to allow tickets to be downloaded in Passbook format for use at the stadium. wallets for iOS and Android. This digitization of tickets had already been implemented in other club venues, such as the Johan Cruyff Stadium (5,000 spectators), the Palau Blaugrana (12,000) and even the Montjuïc Olympic Stadium, in order to manage the 100,000 spectators of the S. The link with the other Barça venues also extends to the operation within the new Camp Nou of all the sports performance analysis systems through the vests and other devices that the players wear during training at the Ciutat Esportiva.

But that would be the subject of another report. In this one, I still need to talk about the Camp Nou's audiovisual installations. On the one hand, we have the video surveillance system, made up of more than 900 cameras covering an area of ​​225,000 square meters. Some are fixed, mounted in hemispherical housings, and others are motorized so they can be adjusted. The signal from all the cameras feeds into two closed-circuit video systems: one to monitor the different areas, from the entrances and VIP areas to the concession stands and merchandise stands; the other is managed by the police.

On the other hand, there are the elements visible and audible to the spectators. Currently, there is a screen 400 meters long and 90 centimeters high that surrounds the pitch between the first and second tiers, and there will be another one 600 meters long when the third tier is opened. For now, they serve as scoreboards until the permanent roof allows for the installation of three giant video screens. All this equipment is supplied by Philips' industrial division, which is also a sponsor and is providing 1,500 monitors for signage in diverse areas such as the concourses, exits, and restrooms. Regarding the sound system, Meyer Sound speakers are being used; the current ones are temporary and will be replaced with the latest models once the roof is ready to be installed. Officials assure that, in addition to the stadium's PA system for matches, it will allow for many other events to be held there without requiring additional sound equipment. This is one of the key aspects of the technological deployment, which, as Míriam Ferrando, FC Barcelona's technology director, explained to ARA, involves an investment of over 100 million euros. He justifies this by citing the evolution of the business model: from opening the stadium only on match days to an Espai Barça open to the public 365 days a year, with complementary offerings such as VIP space rentals to companies for events, restaurants, and Barçaland.