Even if you don’t own or have never listened to her musical output, you are probably aware that Taylor Swift’s world tour is doing fairly well.
That’s a major understatement.
The Eras Tour, as it is called, is the world’s first billion-dollar tour, the highest-grossing concert of all time, and has smashed at least eight venue attendance records. And it’s not over yet.
But here’s one statistic you may have missed. One of Swift’s eight nights at London’s Wembley Stadium saw the record broken for most mobile data used at Wembley Stadium at one concert.
It’s a statistic that the Real Wireless team took special notice of given that making stadiums wireless-ready is an important part of our offering and as we’ll explain in this blog, we are familiar with the wireless requirements of Wembley Stadium audiences.
But the word ‘requirements’ barely does justice to the volumes the Taylor Swift show inspired. According to UK operator EE, a standalone concert at Wembley Stadium saw 5.57 TB of data used – equivalent, in case you need something to compare it with, to sharing more than 1.7 million images on social media, downloading 94,000 hours’ worth of songs, or listening to Taylor Swift’s entire back catalogue more than 4,500 times on repeat…which, as EE helpfully points out, would take more than ten years.
To add to the pressure on the network in the venue roughly 12% of Wembley’s 90,000 capacity were international visitors, so roaming demand was exceptionally high.
And what was causing this demand? LED video walls, impeccable sound systems, dynamic lighting setups synchronised perfectly with the music, light-up stage floors, a giant catwalk that stretched nearly the entire length of the stadium and any number of special effects. And of course, the world’s most famous pop star.
It’s hardly surprising that some visitors saw fit to relay the whole spectacle back to friends at home or abroad in real-time via their phones. Let’s not forget wireless-enabled apps and marketing: the internal services a stadium may offer that can be accessed on a phone on site, be they food, drink, souvenirs or directions or just telling attendees about future events or special offers. Reliable wireless is the unofficial support act that everyone wants and expects at concerts and sports events in the 21st century.
But imagine the amount of equipment needed to deliver the reliable cellular communications that makes that happen. We don’t have to. Wembley is just one example of a major stadium that has trusted Real Wireless’s expertise for the design, implementation oversight and ongoing management of its wireless technology systems, allowing customers (and not just those of EE) to stay connected.
And don’t forget that planning all of this is not just about finding a system that accommodates all the UK’s mobile networks, though that isn’t easy. It’s also about space, power and air-conditioning. It’s about 4G, 5G, Wi-Fi, and PMR, some of it for the audience but some for emergency services, and support workers. And no signal can be allowed to interfere with any other.
New connectivity, marketing and app options are becoming available, some of which we know about, some of which can only guess at, delivered by ever more sophisticated handheld devices.
Do the themes of this blog seem familiar? They should do. Only two years ago similar themes informed our look at the use of wireless by Coldplay and the Sydney Theatre Company’s production of The Picture of Dorian Gray (now amazing London’s West End). But in the following two years, technology, in the form of AI, 5G, new handsets and new apps, has changed quickly. The pace of that change will accelerate with the adoption or arrival of VR, AR, and much, much more in the next few years.
The possibilities are extraordinary, but they will always rely on something that doesn’t change: careful planning of multiple wireless networks, operating in hard to cover environments with tens of thousands of users, carried out by technical experts.
And that’s our job. Real Wireless advises property and venue developers, owners, and operators on the best solutions that will meet the needs and expectations of their customers, visitors and staff. We work to a complex brief that takes in not just managing multiple operators and wireless technologies but the economic, regulatory, sustainability and environmental concerns of stadium owners.
But, like technology, our work doesn’t stand still. Our ongoing research, modelling and techno-economic analysis of Wi-Fi, 5G, 6G, private networks, and more keep us aware of what technology in venues can do, how it can be used and the likely costs.
Essentially, it’s a twin focus: ensuring reliability and resilience in stadium communications planning in the here and now and adaptability to change in the future. This is our job and our skillset – a skillset we are constantly refining to ensure we are ahead of the game.
We’re a bit like Taylor Swift. Not in terms of fame, riches or musical talent – we’ll admit that – but perhaps in ambition.
After all, Taylor Swift will always want to exceed expectations – and so will we.
Find out more how we help built environments find the right wireless strategy – https://real-wireless.com/expertise/built-environments/
Photo Credit:mikedabell
