Avaya will provide the communications network to support next-generation media coverage of the first Test of the 2015 Investec Ashes series to be staged at Glamorgan County Cricket Club’s SWALEC Stadium in Cardiff, Wales, from 8 – 12 July.
The Avaya Fabric Connect network will provision 120 journalists from around the world with Wi-Fi in the broadcast and media centre, as well as providing pitch-side access for live correspondents and photographers.
The Avaya Fabric Network was deployed in five days, including a full migration from Glamorgan’s existing set-up. For the Investec Ashes Test, the network will initially be sub-divided into five user groups with apportioned, ring-fenced bandwidth to safeguard access for journalists. Glamorgan will provision a quarter of the bandwidth for the use of the written media with journalists from newspapers and media outlets in Britain and Australia committed to attend, as well as segments for photographers, non-rights holding broadcast journalists, Glamorgan staff, and England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) staff.
Glamorgan’s goal is to deliver a ‘21st century fan experience’ by becoming the most technically advanced cricket stadium in the world. After The Investec Ashes Test, the club will continue to work with Avaya to roll out access to the Wi-Fi network to guests and spectators.
“In my playing days, you’d typically have a press box of writers filing their copy over the telephone or even by fax machine,” said Hugh Morris, CEO, Glamorgan Cricket Club. “Today sports fans expect immediate coverage of events, regardless of where they are in the world, and increasingly technology-savvy and digitally-minded viewers demand an engaging and interactive experience. Test match coverage has evolved to include extensive previews and detailed analysis and the role of the sports writer has evolved significantly with an expectation to provide rolling coverage in and around every development in every international contest. There’s incredible pressure to ensure the network can withstand large amounts of data passing through it over a long period of time. Our media need to know they can count on the network running seamlessly from the very first Tweet of the day, until the last story is filed.”
The Club will also stage a NatWest Twenty20 International between England and Australia in August and has won the right to stage matches in the 2017 ICC Champions Trophy and the 2019 ICC Cricket World Cup.
