“Having worked with Martin from Lynx Networks for a number of years. I trust his judgement and have never been disappointed.”

Steve Ward, stadiummk Network Manager

Client

IT Networks within stadiums have become highly important as audiences expect an increasing range of high-tech services. After being selected as a host for England’s bid for the 2018 World Cup, stadiummk, home of the MK Dons needed to increase its capacity by 21,000 seats to 41,000. This was on top of completing its already extensive conference/hospitality facilities with a 1500 delegate capacity and a 127-room hotel.

“As an MK Dons fan, it gives me great pride and satisfaction to be involved with the club’s operation behind the scenes and knowing the network we have installed plays a pivotal role in running the stadium.”

Martin Bullen, Director at Lynx Networks

Business challenge

When the stadium was initially built it contained a skeletal network of core fibre which fell far short of meeting the stadium’s business and capacity goals. Lynx Networks was asked to resolve existing technical issues and ramp up its capacity so the stadium could reach World Cup standards. This encompassed:

• Stadium
  • A host of technology to support the media
  • CCTV
  • Points-of-sale
  • Turnstile automation
     
• Hotel bedrooms
  • 254 telephone connections
  • 127 data connections
  • 127 televisions running on IP

Lynx Networks was responsible for designing and building 80% of the networks seen in stadiummk today.

“There was a stage when we were working in a shell, the hotel design had not been finalised so there were areas where we could work and others where we did not initially have a plan to follow. One of our biggest challenges was working around a live football club, while the management, players and club staff were on site, working to their daily routines,” recalled Martin. 

Solution

Lynx deployed a team of 50 people to build a vast and complex system which included:

• Thousands of metres of Cat5e cabling
• More than 60 Global Cat5e patch panels

“Opting to use HellermannTyton technology was a straightforward decision. We install a lot of their equipment knowing that it provides quality, performance and reliability. However their responsive customer service is second to none,” explained Martin. 

Stadium: The technology within the stadium was linked to a series of switches and 13 comms cabinets – each of the satellite and main comms room were linked together using HellermannTyton Cat5E cable and global panels.

Hotel bedrooms: The facilities within each hotel room, which were spread over three levels, were connected using four Cat5E cables and required two dedicated comms rooms on a fourth floor. There was also an AV room on the third floor which hosts all the TV over IP equipment and also provides a back-up to the main comms room which connects all services at ground level.

Results

Lynx Networks brought the overall network point count up to 1500, a number which was set to continue rising as stadiummk continued along its development plan.

“Reliability and performance is essential. When you have CCTV running over IP on match days, any problems could jeopardise the game from a policing and health and safety point of view. Add to that the turnstiles, ticket office and shop sales, the network needs to be reliable and robust to ensure the smooth running of the club. Having worked with Martin for a number of years, I trust his judgement with what he installs and have never been disappointed,” commented Steve.

“We see our cabling and network solutions installed in a number of commercial developments for financial institutions, data centres, schools and hospitals. To add football stadia to our portfolio demonstrates how flexible our products are. To be involved with the project is fantastic on a local level and the successful application for a 2018 world cup host stadium really does make the project an even more satisfying one,” added Ewan Wilson, HellermannTyton Managing Director.