Ooredoo, the official Middle East & Africa telecom operator of FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, will enable everyone in Qatar to access its 5G network, making the event reportedly the first 5G-powered World Cup in history.
All stadiums will be covered by the 5G network, meaning access to high-speed internet – with download speeds expected to exceed 1Gbps.
Sheikh Mohammed Bin Abdulla Al Thani, Deputy Group CEO and CEO of Ooredoo Qatar said: “We have spared no effort in preparing for this, the most momentous occasion in Qatar’s sporting history, and are more than ready to step up and show the world what we can do. Our strategy has long included investment in innovation and technology, both to ensure we can provide the best products and services to our customers and to ensure we are prepared for events such as this one. This investment is undeniably evident in our readiness to deliver an unrivalled experience to all attending FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022.”
Ooredoo completed a full 4G/5G mobile network modernisation in preparation for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, incorporating the very latest, most advanced equipment and functionalities.
A major upgrade of radio sites with the latest 5G technology was intended to maximise country-level coverage, including stadiums, airports, rail networks, fan zones and other FIFA-related facilities.
More than 8,466 multi-beam antennas connect over 500km of RF cables and over 202km of fibre optic, covering the eight stadiums’ indoor Mobile 4G and 5G network. The areas surrounding the stadiums are covered with 41 smart pole ODAS solutions and more than 45 outdoor Macro full-fledge capacity sites. Mobile network services with 5,000+ cells, TETRA services and Wi-Fi backbone will offer state-of-the-art 5G, 4G, 3G and 2G technologies at all eight stadiums.
Network enhancements included upgrades of Ooredoo’s National and International Transport IP links capacity, ensuring abundant bandwidth for internet connectivity with international servers for popular OTT applications such as Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok, WhatsApp and more.
A focused taskforce comprising more than 400 experts will handle operations from a centralised state-of-the-art Service Operation Centre, supported by a network of multiple remote hubs and field operations round-the-clock.
Ooredoo made sure to hire technical experts with experience in major global events such as the Super Bowl or previous World Cup tournaments to support during the 2022 tournament.
The company has also requested major telecom suppliers to enhance their support framework and service assurance requirements during the period of the event with uplifted SLAs.
Ooredoo has introduced a new AI-powered process of identity authentication and SIM card activation to speed up and simplify its onboarding process.
The service deploys aN AI-based digital Know Your Customer (KYC) technology, whereby customers need simply take a selfie photo and upload a digital copy of their official ID document, and the new digital KYC solution will match the two to establish the real identity of users in the digital world.
An AI-powered Virtual Voice Assistant, utilising Google Contact Center Artificial Intelligence, will be available 24/7 to assist customers in nine different languages, including English, Spanish, French, German, Portuguese, Japanese, Korean and Arabic.
More than 350 FIFA buses that will be used to transport players, match officials and media representatives have been provided with mobile broadband, with some 300 of these also fitted with managed Wi-Fi systems.
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