Three has just taken a big 5G step, as it’s kitted out Chelsea FC’s Stamford Bridge stadium with 5G connectivity, making this the UK’s first Premier League stadium to have 5G available across its entirety.
If anything, it’s slightly surprising that it’s taken this long for a Premier League stadium to reach that point, but it’s happened now, and Stamford Bridge will hopefully be the first of many.
Three and Chelsea celebrated the 5G switch on by bringing five legendary ex-players with first or surnames beginning with ‘G’ back to the stadium. Namely, Geremi Njitap, Gianfranco Zola, Eidur Gudjohnsen, Rob Green, and William Gallas, all of whom gathered on the pitch to mark the occasion and of course made up 5Gs.
This should be a transformative experience for Three’s Chelsea fans, as customers with a 5G phone will be able to enjoy eye-watering 5G speeds on match day, with Three claiming that speeds currently reach up to 250Mbps.
More importantly, 5G also provides a low latency and high bandwidth connection, which means that even when all 40,000 spectators are trying to use their phones during half-time, Three’s 5G connection will remain strong and stable, so you can stream highlights in HD, video call friends, or just pass the time on the web.
The ultimate upgrade
Three claims this upgrade also paves the way for the “ultimate connected fan experience,” as it could for example allow for an augmented reality overlay where fans could view player statistics such as their top speed and passes made, in real time, and could choose to view moments from the match at different angles, by tuning in to one of numerous cameras across the grounds.
Plus, while Stamford Bridge is the focus, Three’s 5G installation extends beyond Chelsea’s grounds, boosting network connectivity in the surrounding area. And this is just the start, with Three planning to bring similar 5G upgrades to Kingsmeadow, where the Chelsea FC Women’s first team play, and to the Cobham training centre.
And while our focus here is 5G, it’s worth noting that this upgrade work has also led to 4G improvements at Stamford Bridge, so even if you lack a 5G device you’ll still get a better mobile experience on match day.
