Networking the Stadium

Allied Telesis Partners with Panasonic to Provide the ICT Infrastructure for Mato Grosso Special Secretariat (SECOPA)

SÃO PAULO, Brazil and SAN JOSE, Calif. – April 23, 2014 — Allied Telesis, an industry leader in the deployment and provision of IP Triple Play networks and networking infrastructures, announces its partnership with Panasonic in the creation of the Information and Communications Technology (ICT) infrastructure for the Arena Pantanal stadium, built for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.

The Arena Pantanal in Cuiabá, in the Brazilian state of Mato Grosso, will be the venue for many of the 2014 World Cup soccer matches, which begins in June. The stadium’s capacity is approximately 43,000 people, and it has a flexible structure to adapt it to any future requirements. Locally, the new stadium is known as “O Verdão” (The Big Green), after the sustainable approach used for its construction and maintenance.

When completed, the infrastructure that was designed and provided by Allied Telesis and Panasonic will include telephony (IP and PABX), security CCTV (IP cameras), Internet access, digital signage, access control (RFID card readers and turnstiles), as well as additional functions such as sound systems, and will deliver a world-class “intelligent stadium” to the Mato Grosso Special Secretariat
(SECOPA).

Allied Telesis and Panasonic first began collaboration on the project in 2013. The main focus of the initial phase was on the Allied Telesis and Panasonic IP surveillance and IP PABX solutions. With the strong Allied Telesis reputation for designing and delivering high quality solutions, capable of successfully handling large volumes of multimedia traffic, and having a great deal of experience in this field, the partnership continued to develop. Allied Telesis solutions engineers were chosen by Panasonic to collaborate and contribute to the design and planning of firewall specifications, definitions of servers for the services and dimensions of the network, for the entire arena solution.

The international significance of the events that will take place in the venue requires very high availability of all services, as even minimal downtime during any match would not be acceptable. For this reason, Allied Telesis and Panasonic devoted significant resources to the design and engineering of the solution, and the successful integration of all parts of the system.

The completed project includes two data centers, located on either side of the stadium—each capable of independently supporting the entire traffic load of the stadium at its peak. These data centers link more than twenty operation rooms, located throughout the stadium, from which all operations can be integrated and controlled. The Allied Telesis network has been designed to be resilient and ensure full operation at all times, connecting all equipment and controls.

The synergy of the partnership between Allied Telesis and Panasonic will continue to offer benefits to the end user as the project moves through completion and commissioning, to subsequent use during the tournament itself. These benefits will include training for staff on the installation, project management consultancy, remote support, and on-site installation shadowing to ensure that knowledge and skills can be transferred to those who will operate the stadium on a day-to-day basis after handover.

Francesco Stramezzi, general manager – EMEA and CSA, Allied Telesis, said, “The World Cup will be an important event for the region because the eyes of the world will be upon it. This is not only an exciting and important project for Allied Telesis, but it will also be a global opportunity for us to showcase the flexibility, reliability, and environmental sustainability of our solutions. We have been given an opportunity to collaborate with partners who are world leaders in their fields, as a result of the reputation and quality of our staff and products, as well as the efficiency and effectiveness of our network solutions.”

Masahiro Shinada, vice president, Panasonic do Brasil Ltda., commented, “The partnership between Panasonic and Allied Telesis is founded on our common experiences in this field. Allied Telesis solutions have high quality and are capable of successfully handling large volumes of multimedia traffic; and Panasonic contributes with paramount solutions for surveillance and voice solutions.”