SailGP innovates with 5G network slicing

SailGP has collaborated with BT to make use of 5G standalone network slicing capabilities during the Emirates Great Britain Sail Grand Prix in Portsmouth (July 19-20).

As official technology supplier for the Portsmouth event, in which 12 national teams compete on the waters of the Solent, BT is working closely with SailGP and Ericsson, the championship’s global technology partner.

This will see BT provide two dedicated network slices tailored to the event’s requirements.

Network slicing uses 5G standalone technology to provide a dedicated, protected slice of the mobile network for specific use-cases, ensuring performance isn’t impacted if the public network is congested by users at the event.

SailGP marks the first time BT has delivered multiple concurrent network slices at the same event. It’s worked with Nokia to deploy network slicing capabilities in several radio mast sites covering the event area around Portsmouth harbour, with the slicing being configured end-to-end.

Powered by EE, BT will provision multiple network slices to provide dedicated capacity for critical use cases including:

• Boat connectivity: To support seamless roaming between the private and public network across all 12 F50s. BT’s network slice ensures always-on connectivity for voice communications, transfer of telemetry data and on-board video.
• Point-of-sale terminals: Enabling a quick payments process in SailGP’s official merchandise shop within the SailGP Race Stadium.
• Broadcast: Working with Sony and its 5G live production products to trial new broadcast capabilities, roaming Full HD cameras will utilise the network slice – optimised for the high-capacity uplink requirements of Sony’s ultra low-latency encoders – to support a SailGP production which is broadcast to 212 countries worldwide.
• Media: Select photographers at the event will benefit from instant and assured connectivity to upload photos in real-time for use by international media. This is being delivered in partnership with Sony’s connected camera solution, consisting of Sony Alpha cameras and PDT-FP1.

Also new to the UK event is SailGP’s 360-degree AR/VR experience, which will allow fans to experience what it’s like to be onboard an F50.

This high-quality experience will use new higher capacity 5G radios, being tested in Portsmouth by BT and Ericsson, that will enable ultra low-latency performance and gigabit capacity.

Kerry Small, chief operating officer, business at BT Group, said: “5G standalone isn’t just about faster speeds – it’s about unlocking tailor-made capabilities that can transform customer experiences. In partnership with SailGP, we’ve demonstrated this by using network slicing to streamline event operations and bring fans closer to the action than ever before. It’s a powerful example of how we’re evolving the UK’s best network to deliver next-generation connectivity and more immersive experiences.”

Warren Jones, chief technology officer of SailGP, adds: “Bringing SailGP back to UK shores after three years is a major milestone, and delivering a world-class, tech-driven event is critical to the success of it. Partnering with BT has allowed us to push the boundaries of what’s possible in sports connectivity. In a first for SailGP, BT’s use of 5G standalone network slicing ensures the global championship can maintain real-time communications, telemetry and live video from the racecourse – this collaboration showcases how cutting-edge connectivity can transform the delivery of global sporting events.”