CELLULAR ASSET MANAGEMENT

The Docklands Stadium, Melbourne

Description: Implementation of Additional Cellular Coverage at Major Melbourne Venue

Requirement: Additional Coverage to Include the Latest LTE and HSPA+ Requirements

Solution: Coverage Incorporating LTE and HSPA+ for Vodafone Hutchinson Australia

♦ Overview The Docklands Stadium (also known as the Etihad Stadium after the main sponsor) is a multi-purpose venue with a capacity of over 53 thousand spectators located in Melbourne, Victoria. It is the home of the Australia Football League and has hosted the Rugby World Cup, the Rugby League World Cup and Commonwealth Games events. Optus already had an In Building system to cover the stadium but it only covered five sectors for all the seating and car park areas and was not compliant with LTE at 1800MHz. CAM was commissioned by Vodafone Hutchinson Australia (VHA) to upgrade the system to 15 sectors with ten allocated to the seating areas.

♦ What did the Project Involve? The design was commissioned and went through various iterations as additional frequency bands and technologies were added to the requirements.

Ten new active remote units were required in the stadium gantry above the seating to provide ten sectors, while the existing DAS was upgraded for the other areas. Design requirements from both Optus and Vodafone had to be taken into account.

A total of 20 antennae were installed on the gantry from 10 remote units and new BTS equipment was installed in the Vodafone equipment room. Vodafone added additional capacity and LTE 1800 after the system had gone live.

The project took place from May 2013 to January 2014 and involved representatives from all departments within CAM Australia. Close collaboration was needed with Vodafone, Optus and Equipment Supplier.

♦ Why was the Project so Successful? The system was built and implemented at a busy time for the stadium, with concerts and sporting events taking place throughout the year. This created a complex schedule which needed to take into account availability of equipment and deadlines for various events.

As the system had a large number of sectors within the seating bowl, the power levels for each operator’s system required careful balancing. The radio engineers were able to optimise the system to minimise interference between these sectors. The project delivered the capacity and throughput speeds required for such a large site delivering LTE and HSPA+. The result was a system providing excellent coverage in the seating areas with minimal interference, meeting the needs of a high profile, high capacity venue where visitors expect the very best.

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