Xirrus To Build Ryder Cup Wi-Fi Network At Gleneagles

Networking equipment manufacturer Xirrus has been named the official Wi-Fi supplier to 2014 Ryder Cup golf competition, which will be held at Gleneagles in Scotland in September, allowing spectators at the course to access a range of services, content and location-based features.

The firm will deploy access points and arrays across the entire Gleneagles site and follows a successful deployment of wireless technology at the European Tour’s BMW PGA Championships at Wentworth earlier this year.

“The Wi-Fi deployment at the BMW PGA Championship in May served as a great example of the huge value that wireless brings to the whole golfing experience, by providing spectators with faster and easier access to digital content,” explains Richard Hills, European Ryder Cup Director.

Ryder Cup Wi-Fi

“From a technology perspective, Xirrus was able to meet the very specific requirements of the golf course environment, providing us with complete coverage and the ability to handle huge capacity and bandwidth demands with no dropouts.”

Earlier this week, Transport Scotland announced that it was providing extra government funding to bring Wi-Fi to stations serving venues for the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow and the Ryder Cup, while trains bringing spectators to Gleneagles will also provide Wi-Fi to passengers.

Wireless connectivity at sporting venues is becoming increasingly important as spectators struggle to send messages and access social networks using congested 3G and 4G networks. Avaya made wireless access a priority when it constructed the network for the recent Winter Olympics in Sochi, while part of EE’s sponsorship with Wembley Stadium will see the operator improve mobile coverage at the arena.

“The eyes of the world will be on this tournament and Xirrus prides itself in being able to deliver high performance in the most demanding environments,” says Sean Larner, vice president of international at Xirrus. “The Wi-Fi network will enable Ryder Cup Europe to maximise fan engagement through a variety of interactive applications, both for those at the event itself, and those watching from home.”

Are you a tech Olympian? Find out with our sporting IT quiz!