At the conclusion of the sports extravaganza, Ooredoo—the Official Middle East and Africa Telecommunications Operator of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022—announced record-breaking numbers, solidifying its position as a global leader in telecommunications and ICT.
The tournament’s thrilling final between Argentina and France at Lusail Stadium saw a record-breaking 45.1TB data consumed, 8.4TB of stadium Wi-Fi used, more than 650,000 calls made, and 32,000 people using roaming. Records set at the opening ceremony were broken by the time the tournament was over.
Sheikh Nasser Bin Hamad Bin Nasser Al Thani, Chief Commercial Officer at Ooredoo said: “There are no words to describe the pride we feel as we conclude the world’s greatest sporting event. To have hosted such an incredible event in our beloved country, and for our country to have put on such a stellar performance, was phenomenal; for Ooredoo to have had the opportunity to show the world just what we and our Network of Champions can do, was priceless. The atmosphere in Doha has been nothing short of spectacular across the past few weeks, and this has been matched within Ooredoo; as each record was set and then broken, and each day we saw just what an incredible experience football fans were able to enjoy thanks to the efforts of each and every Ooredoo team member.”
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Record-breaking figures
Across all 64 matches of the most prominent football tournament in the world, the 3.4 million fans attending used a phenomenal 801TB data, of which 40.3% was via Ooredoo’s pioneering 5G at a speed of up to 236Mbps. 58.2% was on the 4G network at a speed of up to 19Mbps. 201TB of Wi-Fi was used in and around the eight stadiums.
11.4 million voice calls were made throughout the event, of which 63.1% were VoLTE, with a call success rate of 99.95%, and an incredible 646,000 fans used roaming.
8,466 antennae placed in the eight stadiums supported the network, while a team of more than 500 experts on the ground ensured seamless service.
Lusail Stadium saw the highest figures, with 222TB data used and 2.9 million calls made throughout the tournament.
Network of champions
A full 4G/5G mobile network modernisation – incorporating the very latest, most advanced equipment and functionalities – ensured complete readiness for FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022TM,
Proper network capacity and resiliency throughout all network components – RAN, Core and Transport – was ensured for both national and international segments, and included full modernisation of the core, with a sophisticated cloud core network in state-of-the-art data centres.
A major upgrade of outdoor radio sites with the latest 5G technology maximised country-level coverage, including stadiums, airports, rail networks, fan zones and other FIFA-related facilities. Capacity for fan zones and other event venues and hotspots was enhanced.
More than 1,130 multi-beam antennas connected over 355km of RF cables and over 202km of fibre optic, covering the eight stadiums and immediate surrounding areas with 4G and 5G. Mobile network services with 5,000+ cells, 1,500+ DOTs, TETRA services and Wi-Fi backbone offered
state-of-the-art 5G, 4G, 3G and 2G technologies at all eight stadiums.
Artificial Intelligence & Machine Learning (ML) support FIFA operations
A focused taskforce comprising more than 400 experts handled operations from a centralised state-of-the-art Service Operation Centre, supported by a network of multiple remote hubs and field operations round-the-clock. Technical experts with experience in major global events such as the Super Bowl or previous World Cup tournaments were engaged to support during the 2022 tournament.
Major telecom suppliers were asked to enhance their support framework and service assurance requirements during the period of the event with uplifted SLAs. Ooredoo also liaised closely with the Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy, as well as with the Qatar Communications Regulatory Authority (CRA) to facilitate successful FIFA operations.
Cutting-edge AI-driven technology
Ooredoo used a new AI-powered process of identity authentication and SIM card activation to speed up and simplify its onboarding process. The service deployed a sophisticated AI-based digital Know Your Customer (KYC) technology to quickly and efficiently establish the real identity of users in the digital world.
An AI-powered Virtual Voice Assistant, utilising Google Contact Centre Artificial Intelligence, was available 24/7 to assist customers in nine different languages, including English, Spanish, French, German, Portuguese, Japanese, Korean and Arabic.
Safe margin FIFA traffic requirements fulfilled
Network enhancements included upgrades of Ooredoo’s National and International Transport IP links capacity, ensuring abundant bandwidth for internet connectivity with international servers for popular OTT applications such as Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok, WhatsApp and more. These upgrades also ensured the provision of high-quality voice calls and an excellent roaming experience, enabling customers and broadcasters to stay connected with their international home destinations.
Customer experience measurement devices were deployed in stadiums and fan zones to monitor in real-time the main applications being used by fans, and enable proactive real-time quality enhancements.
Media supported to broadcast event across globe
Ooredoo provided global telecommunications services to all media rights licensees in Qatar to cover this landmark international event. This included the connection of approximately 50 event broadcasters around the world to the Ooredoo network and the Qatar International Broadcasting Centre to transmit live video and data, providing tournament carriers with the quality and flexibility needed to produce and distribute broadcast video content.
Connectivity ensured even on the go
Ooredoo’s commitment to, and investment in, innovation and technology was leveraged for the benefit of FIFA, the event and its participants, with the company providing connectivity on the go. More than 350 FIFA buses that were used to transport players, match officials and media representatives were provided with mobile broadband, with some 300 of these also fitted with managed Wi-Fi systems.
“Years of strategic investment in innovation and technology ensured Ooredoo was perfectly placed to deliver seamless connectivity and a vastly enhanced experience for both fans residing in Qatar and those visiting from overseas. Our extensive preparations for the sporting mega-event, including the comprehensive network modernisation and collaboration with several of the world’s leading technology giants, meant we were more than capable of delivering on our ambitious promises. I’m sure it will be agreed across the globe that Qatar laid on an absolutely world-class, record-breaking FIFA World Cup, and that Ooredoo presented a phenomenal display of what will surely now be industry standard communications and connectivity for such major global events. Our thanks go to FIFA and the Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy for placing their trust in us; to the thousands of fans and customers who relied on us to keep them connected; and to each and every member of the Ooredoo Family for their relentless efforts to stand up and deliver,” Sheikh Nasser concluded.
