Broadcast infrastructure getting ready for Euro 2012

Telekomunikacja Polska (TP) and Orange have successfully completed the first phase of tests of the technology infrastructure and services to be provided during the UEFA European Football Championship. Connecting both the stadiums in Poland and the International Broadcasting Centre, this marks a critical and key stage of preparations for the UEFA EURO 2012 championships.

“UEFA EURO 2012 in Poland and Ukraine will be a great event for football fans and a great opportunity for us to show the strength of our services and technological support. With these tests, we have shown that we can fulfill all of UEFA’s technology needs. Our goal is to be part of a broadcast solution which enables football fans to enjoy great experience by connecting them to the games from all over the world, and also to provide journalists, commentators and event organizers with best working conditions,” said Maciej Witucki, CEO of TP Group.

The tests have been conducted in a specially built laboratory, created in TP Group’s Data Centre in Warsaw in September 2011. Now that is has been verified in the Lab, the entire network infrastructure will now be transferred to the stadiums in Warsaw, Poznan, Wroclaw, Gdansk and the International Broadcasting Centre. TP and Orange guarantee 99.999% reliability of the data transmission services during match days

As part of the tests, all of the network devices and many of the additional devices (computers, TVs, monitors) were installed and configured here, ensuring that all of the contracted services have been tested. The disaster recovery procedures and communication channels, between both local teams as well as the IT Command Centre,  were also verified, as well as the connections to Ukraine. The lab has also been used to train the technical engineers that will be supporting the tournament.

The next phase of technological preparation will be finalising the implementation of a solution based on the new generation ROADM transmission network which shall ensure the highest quality and reliability of audio and video signal transmission. This network will provide two independent transmission routes to each Polish stadium, the broadcasting centre and the border with Ukraine, providing the secure backbone for all of the television broadcasts from all of the matches in the tournament.

Within the technology partnership framework, Polish Telecom and Orange have provided a complete data communication solution, which will ensure connectivity among over 20 locations in Poland (host cities, stadiums, hotels for UEFA representatives) and between Poland and Ukraine.  Thanks to TP and Orange services, the video signal from stadiums will be transmitted to all official broadcasters at the International Broadcasting Centre (IBC). From here, the signal will be transmitted all over the world.

The responsibility for technological services and user support during the championship lies within a qualified team of over 1000 persons.

Technology partnership includes delivery of:

• over 6000 Internet and corporate networks access points
• approx. 1000 IP phones
• approx. 1300 ISDN lines
• almost 600 analog phone lines
• approx. 1600 SIM cards and mobile phones
• approx. 100 wireless access modems
• approx. 300 wireless access points
• over 1000 laptops
• almost 1000 Sharp TV sets
• almost 1300 commentators’ monitors (supplied by Sharp)
• approx. 800 phones (ISDN and analog)
• approx. 130 LCD monitors
• smaller devices (photo cameras, USB sticks, laminators, etc.)
• video signal transmission
• transmission between Ukraine border and International Broadcasting Centre
• connectivity between Polish stadiums and International Broadcasting Centre