- Collaboration between Deutsche Telekom and FC Bayern Munich
- 5G available around the Allianz Arena from spring 2020
- High-speed network promises fans even more intense sports experiences
Deutsche Telekom and high-flying German soccer club FC Bayern Munich are pursuing a very special collaboration – one that soccer fans are sure to appreciate. As part of the partnership, the new 5G mobile standard is to be made available in the area around the club’s grounds, the Allianz Arena in Munich, from spring 2020. The technology can process larger volumes of data much faster than conventional standards, so that visitors to the stadium will be able to use augmented (AR) and virtual reality (VR) apps on 5G-enabled devices. The end result will be a completely new way to experience sports.
“Deutsche Telekom is working with FC Bayern Munich to open up the world of 5G technology to soccer spectators. Fans visiting the Allianz Arena will be able to explore a whole new dimension in soccer through VR and AR. We’re helping bring the club and its fans even closer together, which is of course in keeping with our motto – ‘Life is for sharing,’” comments Michael Hagspihl, Head of Consumers at Telekom Deutschland.
“The Allianz Arena stands for quality, progress, and innovation. We are really pleased we can offer our supporters this very special technology so early on, thanks to the support of our long-standing partner, Deutsche Telekom,” says Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, Executive Board Chairman of FC Bayern München AG. “Following on from the comprehensive expansion of Wi-Fi in 2015, 5G technology is the next logical step in making the whole match experience in the Arena even more attractive.”
Expansion planned for spring 2020
Work on developing the applications is slated to start in 2019, with visitors to the Allianz Arena able to see for themselves what a 5G network can do from as early as next year. Deutsche Telekom is setting up antennae around the Allianz Arena in spring 2020. The first tests may take place even earlier, outside the stadium, as the 5G expansion program is already underway in the local area in the north of Munich.
Faster network, more intense experience
With 5G technology, users can not only operate AR or VR applications in real time, but also stream videos even faster and with higher resolution. The whole experience of watching a match will get much more intense, with fans becoming a virtual twelfth team member, running alongside their heroes or joining in goal celebrations. Virtual competitions among the spectators are another possibility – for example, two fans competing against each other in penalties and being spurred on by fellow spectators. Another option would be for fans to take advantage of cloud gaming functions to put their skills to the test in a quick game of their own at half-time. Using these and many other features, Deutsche Telekom and FC Bayern Munich are set to breathe life into the soccer experience of the future.
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