Orange Polska upgrades network at Polish arena, capacity expanded to 5,000 people

en.Wedoany.com Reported - Orange Polska has announced that it has enhanced mobile connectivity at the Polsat Plus Gdynia Arena in Gdynia. Managed by the Gdyńskie Centrum Sportu (Gdynia Sports Center), the venue is a key cultural and sports hub in the Tri-City area, having hosted concerts by artists such as Katie Melua, Seal, and Dawid Podsiadło, as well as comedy shows, martial arts galas, exhibitions, and various events. Basketball is the primary sport played here, and the arena also hosts volleyball and handball national team matches, as well as tennis tournaments.

Due to the venue being partially underground, its reinforced concrete walls, metal roof components, and soundproofing materials create a Faraday cage effect, causing external signal attenuation. Combined with thousands of spectators using smartphones simultaneously, this results in poor mobile network connection quality. To address this issue, the Gdynia Sports Center commissioned Orange to invest in a solution, deploying a distributed antenna system based on 10 service antennas installed above the court to enhance network coverage. This system covers the entire seating area, distributing radio signals when multiple users access their smartphones simultaneously, thereby increasing network capacity and allowing up to 5,000 users to access the internet and make calls at the same time.

The installation adopts a multi-operator neutral host technology model, enabling other operators to connect. Currently, three of the four largest telecom companies have completed their connections, and their customers can all use the network. Orange stated that the architecture of the solution is designed to ensure network stability remains guaranteed even as demand for mobile services continues to grow.