By joining 5G technology with artificial intelligence, Igualada consolidates its position as a smart city in the field of sports

• Igualada presents a new service which strengthens its position as a smart city in the field of sports.
• The combination of Telefónica’s 5G technology and artificial intelligence cameras in one of the city’s sports facilities will make it possible to watch grassroots sport matches in real time.
• The presentation of this new project was attended by representatives of the Igualada City Council, Mobile World Capital Barcelona, the Department of the Vice Presidency, Digital Policies and Territory of the Generalitat of Catalonia, the i2CAT Foundation of the UFEC Foundation, all of which have joined forces to develop this initiative.

0ctober 14, 2022

Igualada’s City Council, Mobile World Capital Barcelona (MWCapital), the Department of the Vice Presidency, Digital Policies and Territory of the Generalitat of Catalonia, the i2CAT Foundation and the UFEC Foundation presented this morning a project that unites artificial intelligence and 5G at the service of sport and citizenship. Starting next week (October 22-23), the part of the 5G Penedès Area project will make it possible to broadcast more than 30 matches at the Les Comes sports facility via 5G. This has been possible thanks to Telefónica’s 5G network and AI cameras installed in the sports hall, within the frame of the Esport+ project of the UFEC Foundation.

Mayor of Igualada Marc Castells stated that “Igualada is an innovative city with a very strong ICT sector and deeply committed to knowledge and training. This pilot is an example of local leaders deploying technology at the service of citizens. The digitalization of sports becomes a reality thanks to the agreement between different entities, the City Council and the Government. By using 5G technology, this Esport+ project will make real time grassroots sports broadcasting available for everyone with a mobile device in the country.”

Eduard Martín, CIO and Director of Intelligent Connectivity at MWCapital stressed that “once again, today we are witness to 5G technology working as a lever of progress by democratizing certain key sectors, such as sport. MWCapital continues its work towards a people centered digitalization that delivers society better services thanks to technology”.

In the same vein, Rosa Paradell, director of innovation and business development for the public sector at the i2CAT Foundation highlighted this is a “a good example of 5G Areas working together with different sectors and local entities to use 5G technology -a new 5G use- to face the challenges of the territory.”

Making sport more accessible and without connectivity barriers

So far, 5G has been applied only for elite sports such as first division football or Formula 1. In addition, many sports facilities have limited connectivity due to their location on the outskirts of towns or cities lacking fiber optics. This initiative takes a step towards more digital and accessible sports for all, eliminating the connectivity barriers that have so far hindered grassroots matches broadcasting. Now anyone will be able to watch the matches held in the sports hall in real time. In addition, this combination of technologies will also allow clubs to analyze and optimize their performance.

For UFEC Foundation’s director Pere Vilà “Esport+ has live broadcast more than 11,000 sport events in less than a year thus impacting a community of more than 2.5 million and bringing Catalan sport to more than 140 countries. A project as big as this needs to support policies that offer real solutions to citizens. Igualada’s pilot test takes a step forward in this direction, especially as far as Catalonia’s real and effective connectivity is concerned.”

Telefónica’s 5G network has been key to the development of this pioneering project, as it allows  low latency connection. The combination of fiber optics and the 5G nodes provide broadband in most of the city.

Julián Vinué, PR and Innovation Manager at Telefónica Este pointed out that “the deployment carried out by Telefónica throughout the territory has brought us in the 5G era, with a minimum latency network and maximum bandwidth. 5G provides a speed of up to 10 gigabits per second, allows for thousands of devices to be connected simultaneously, brings data transmission times down to milliseconds, and provides maximum security thanks to encrypted free from interference networks.”

5G Penedès Area, a lever of transformation that reduces the digital gap and encourages the innovation of the territory’s services

The project was led by the entities making up the 5G Penedès Area (Generalitat de Catalunya, MWCapital, i2CA Foundation, Barcelona Provincial Council, Igualada City Council, Telefónica and Neápolis) as well as the UFEC Foundation and Automatic Media (ATM), which connected the cameras to the 5G network.

The Area focuses on promoting strategic sectors such as social and health care, mobility and talent with 5G as a catalyst for change. It enables the needs analysis and contributes to strengthening the most relevant economic sectors in the area.

David Ferrer, Generalitat of Catalonia Secretary of Digital Policies stressed that “the implementation of 5G in Catalonia is a priority for the Government of the Generalitat of Catalonia, which is committed to its deployment and to turning Catalonia into a 5G technology testing and attraction pole. The pilot that we present today perfectly fulfills this objective and shows that 5G technology can be a real and effective alternative for facilities with artificial intelligence cameras but no fiber connectivity.”