Telefónica transforms the Bernabéu to 4K ST-2110 with Lawo

ISE 2024 has hosted a presentation by Telefónica of the transformation project of the Santiago Bernabéu, Real Madrid's stadium that has received an ambitious implementation of an IP infrastructure based on ST-2110 with 4K capabilities and Theirs y Cisco, among other providers.

After an introduction by Craig Newsbury, Lawo sales director in EMEA and LATAM, Asier Anitú y Cesar Bermejo of Telefónica have revealed all the keys to what has been called a “new concept” in the world of sports stadiums. The new Santiago Bernabéu of Real Madrid, whose IP infrastructure came into operation at end of 2023, takes advantage of the main advantages of IP environments to cover everything from camera capture to the last phases of the production process: broadcast cameras, cinematographic quality PTZs, CCUs, video mixers, graphics systems, playout, audio consoles and control systems are integrated into a project supported by standards ST-2110 par achieve the always desired convergence as well as greater intelligence and operational flexibility.

80 kilometers of cabling, 1,400 Wi-Fi access points, 500 switchers and more than 1,000 DMPs structure a transversal project that is built around a network architecture supercore redundant system that structures the main technological axes of the Madrid coliseum: wiring systems, high-density Wi-Fi connectivity, MCR, TV control compound, management of audiovisual environments, a 360 video scoreboard, intercom and the core stadium broadcast. Everything, with the aim of making the Real Madrid stadium a world example of versatility, scalability and engagement.

“The question was not whether the IP was where to go, but the key was when", he commented in his speech Asier Anitú, business development and innovation manager at Telefónica. After starting the pre-sale design in 2021, the Telefónica company team set out to create a unique architecture based on 4K prepared to support all types of events 365 days a year. To do this, we relied on a redundant network of Cisco which allows “eliminating the possibility of failures” and is a “very resistant option compared to analog and digital,” adding architecture intelligence, infrastructure control and interconnection between systems and devices.

Theirs, host of the event, has contributed a wide variety of its catalog to this Real Madrid initiative: control systems, gateways, signal generation systems, sound tables, conversion systems... Its footprint is present across to, in this way, constitute “a new standard in the world of sports venues.”

Through this project, according to Telefónica data, Real Madrid's new Santiago Bernabéu stadium becomes the ST-2110 largest sports infrastructure in Europe, and the first in operate at 100% in 4K. “This will mean that you will never see any mobile units in the stadium again,” concluded Anitúa, exemplifying one of the operational advantages in the broadcast field of this project.