27 December 2024
The African Cup of Nations (AFCON) attracts fans, players, and officials from across the continent. Expectations are high, and attendees demand a rich digital experience enabled by seamless communication and internet access.
To keep fans connected and engaged, Orange Ivory Coast needed to deliver excellent wireless performance and availability during high-density use; fast, reliable internet access at events amid surging data demand; and overcome coverage limitations in challenging stadium environments.
“AFCON is a very important tournament for the CAF (Confédération Africaine de Football) and the countries hosting the event,” says Samuel Buttarelli, Vice President Sales EMEA & APAC, CommScope. “Success means significant investment in modernising venues hosting spectators and visitors. The event also attracts international travelers from different parts of the world who expect good user experiences. Mobile network providers want to make sure they’re delivering a level of service aligned with the expectations of both domestic subscribers and international roamers.”
Meeting the challenges
Orange Ivory Coast needed technology partners that could meet these stringent requirements, to ensure spectators would enjoy a full range of digital amenities and services.
AFCON 2024 posed several distinct technical challenges: hosting 40,000-60,000 spectators, AFCON venues are extremely high-density environments. When capacity soars for major events, network congestion and signal degradation issues escalate as well. Even as population density surges, attendees still expect fast, reliable internet access for live streaming, social media sharing, and real-time updates.
The layouts of the stadium environments themselves also created specific challenges. Conventional mobile networks struggle to provide adequate coverage within stadium confines, particularly in hard-to-reach areas with architectural complexities and obstructed signals.
Digital DAS solutions
To address these challenges, Orange Ivory Coast partnered with CommScope and Leadcom/STA.
“CommScope delivered its state-of-the-art ERA digital Distributed Antenna System (DAS) supporting both 4G and 5G in three stadiums. The ERA DAS technology is based on a central hub where capacity from different mobile network providers is pooled and a certain number of radiating points are installed inside the stadium connected back to the central hub by optical fibre,” explains Buttarelli.
Designed to deliver flexible, high-performance connectivity, CommScope’s all-digital ERA distributed antenna system offered Ivory Coast Stadiums a simple yet economical solution. Operating on standard IT infrastructure — Category 6A and fibre — these solutions allow the organization to provide high capacity with ‘five bars’ of coverage throughout large sports venues.
CommScope ERA digital DAS leverages digital signal processing to enhance coverage and capacity at each event, mitigating interference and improving signal quality. Designed with scalability in mind, the modular form factor of ERA digital DAS allows for seamless expansion to accommodate evolving connectivity demands during AFCON.
Tailor-made deployment
“The project requires strong local partners to manage in-country logistics and installation work,” adds Buttarelli. “There is a big focus on meeting the available budget, and the system is designed and optimised to deliver the best performance. In addition, the project must be scalable and easily expandable in case additional capacity needs to be installed for specific events, such as when the local national team is playing.”
A dedicated team of engineers from Leadcom/STA installed and integrated ERA digital DAS equipment across AFCON venues, ensuring seamless interoperability with existing network infrastructure. ERA’s centralized management platform enables venues and their service providers to monitor network performance in real time, identify potential issues, and optimize system configurations remotely.
CommScope and Leadcom/ STA collaborated closely with Orange Ivory Coast to tailor the deployment of ERA digital DAS to specific venue requirements, ensuring comprehensive coverage and optimal performance. For example, the Stade Olympique d’Ebimpé is a multi-purpose stadium that can host football, rugby and athletics. This massive site required coverage for up to 60,000 attendees, as well as 5G coverage in VIP indoor areas. At a final match, additional tickets were sold, yet the solution was still successful at delivering excellent performance. A VIP speed test during the match in crowded areas demonstrated download speeds of an impressive 141Mbps.
CommScope, Leadcom/STA, and Orange Ivory Coast also deployed the solution at the multi-purpose Stade Félix-Houphouët-Boigny, as well as the Stade Bouakéis, with capacities of 45,000 and 40,000, respectively. These sites also delivered remarkable results, even with cell sites at 100% capacity.
An unmatched experience
Utilizing CommScope solutions and advanced digital DAS technology, Orange Ivory Coast not only addressed the connectivity challenges inherent in high-density environments, but also provided attendees with an unmatched digital experience.
At each deployment, successful data rates were consistently achieved, even when stadiums had reached full capacity. The solution’s Advanced Integrated Monitoring and Operating System (AIMOS) also played a critical role. This comprehensive monitoring platform for DAS and repeaters provides automated support with robust fault, configuration and inventory management capabilities — minimizing time and labour associated with manual network management tasks. Successful AIMOS monitoring reports were sent every 30 minutes before and during each match.
To further enhance the solution, CommScope worked closely with Orange Ivory Coast to optimize their outdoor macro sites to improve performance. The deployment has forged a lasting relationship for innovation as well as a repeatable template for success.
