This year’s SailGP championship is set to benefit from what is claimed to be the fastest mobile connectivity possible, teaming up with Ericsson at venues across the globe.
SailGP features 10 teams with F50 catamarans racing head-to-head at 12 venues around the world, with vessels reaching speeds of up to 100km an hour. The competition claims to be at the forefront of technological innovation in sailing, and also has the ambition to be the world’s most sustainable and purpose-driven global sports and entertainment platform. Each boat is equipped with advanced systems that include 4K video cameras, sensors and other on-board technologies.
Ericsson will look to provide the teams and personnel with enterprise wireless services to support high-quality 5G connectivity, improving fan experiences and race operations. To support the split-second human responses decisions, Ericsson said each team will have access to the fastest connectivity possible under some of the most challenging physical conditions. The offerings are said to deliver instant real-time data and statistical feedback, despite the 100km per hour speeds over open waters.
Additionally, the services will support SailGP umpires to adjudicate on race protocol through the enhanced capabilities of 5G-enabled live camera streaming from competing F50s, and insights into team locations, tactics and strategy.
Key outcomes for the partnership include performance optimisation; enhanced tactical decision-making; increased fairness and transparency; and enhanced spectator engagement. The real-time transport of extensive data between off- and on-shore teammates on boat speed, wind conditions and other factors allows real-time data analysis to maximise speed and efficiency by adjusting sail settings and boat trim.
The immediate availability of data on race position, course layout and wind direction enables teams to make informed tactical decisions during races, such as choosing optimal sailing angles, deciding when to tack or gybe, and strategising for mark roundings.
Real-time transportation of data directly and securely into Oracle Cloud is designed to enable racers to share data with all teams, including boat speed, wind direction, course layout and race position. This is designed to help SailGP prevent any unfair advantages and promote fair competition. Data sharing and improved bandwidth is seen as enhancing the spectator experience by providing insights into the intricacies of sailing tactics and strategy, making races more engaging and understandable for viewers.
In all, Ericsson’s Cradlepoint edge routers – installed in the wings of each F50 – are expected to handle more than 53 billion data points across the fleet per race day, including internet of things, video, and critical communications from competing boats connecting to the private 5G network during each race day.
The deployment also demanded that 5G connectivity services were deployed across a diverse landscape and connected to multiple carriers. They also required a ruggedised edge router in each F50 that could withstand rough maritime conditions. For the safety of the athletes and the boat, neither may leave the dock until the F50 and its crew are fully connected and communicating.
SailGP initially worked with Ericsson and T-Mobile to test and deploy the Ericsson private 5G service over T-Mobile’s 5G spectrum at US events in Season 4. The service will be installed and deployed in all F50s and rolled out globally for the 2025 season.
Commenting on what is expected, SailGP chief technology officer Warren Jones said: “SailGP continues to innovate so we can provide the best experiences possible for our teams and fans, and this requires networking technology that can keep up with the speed and intricacies of the sport.
“Ericsson Private 5G combined with its Cradlepoint edge routers not only matches the bandwidth and latency challenges of billions of data points during a race, but also addresses our need to quickly deploy networks at locations across the world. This reliable, scalable connectivity helps teams optimise performance and maintain fair competition while significantly enriching the fan experience through visibility into race analytics.”
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