Ericsson in partnership with Telstra to debut 5G stadium connectivity at the Melbourne Cricket Ground for the AFL Grand Final

AFL Grand Final 2019 to see Melbourne Cricket Ground’s 5G debut

(PRESS RELEASE) STOCKHOLM, 23-Sep-2019 — /EuropaWire/ — Telstra customers with 5G handsets set to experience enhanced connectivity attending the biggest day in the Australian Football League’s (AFL) annual calendar – the AFL Grand Final on September 28 at the Ericsson-enabled 5G stadium.

Ericsson and Telstra in partnership with the Melbourne Cricket Club (MCC) have already connected the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) with Ericsson Connected Stadium solutions using 3G and 4G.

The Melbourne Cricket Club is now being enhanced with 5G stadium connectivity by the partners. Fans with Telstra 5G handsets will be the first to benefit the enhanced network experience with faster browsing and downloads enabled through greater capacity.

Following the AFL Grand Final, Telstra and Ericsson engineers will continue testing and refining 4G and 5G coverage weekly to evaluate the engineering deployment design and optimize future deployment solutions at the MCG.

“The speed and capacity of 5G is great on days like the AFL Grand Final. On match day last year, we saw a massive 3.8 Terabytes of data sent over Telstra’s mobile network at the MCG – equivalent to 1,200 hours of HD video content. There are also benefits for customers using 4G, as the underlying network is also enhanced by the installation of the latest technologies” commented, Nikos Katinakis, Group Executive, Networks & IT, Telstra.

“Following soon after the launch of 5G commercially in Australia, this collaboration with Telstra and MCC is another example of industry working together to drive 5G advancement and respond to growing demand for increased data and enhanced experiences, and ensuring Australia remains at the forefront of telecommunications technology” said, Emilio Romeo, Head of Ericsson Australia and New Zealand.

“We are pleased to be the first stadium in Australia to provide patrons with access to the 5G network thanks to Telstra and Ericsson. Fans expect to step into greatness when visiting the ‘G and this is another way we are enhancing Grand Final Day experiences. Ahead of hosting matches and the Finals of the ICC T20 Women’s and Men’s World Cups next year, the 5G at the ‘G technology puts us into an elite category to cater to international broadcasters, media and fans” added, Melbourne Cricket Club Chief Executive, Stuart Fox.

More about Ericsson 5G

Find out more about Ericsson 5G.
Find out more about Ericsson’s publicly announced 5G contracts.
Find out more about Ericsson’s 5G partnerships.

For press information:

Press Office Phone: +46 10 719 69 92
media.relations@ericsson.com

SOURCE: Ericsson