BT Group has announced a collaboration with global racing championship, SailGP, which will see its 5G Standalone network slicing capabilities deliver critical connectivity to underpin the event’s operations and enhance the fan experience at the Emirates Great Britain Sail Grand Prix in Portsmouth (July 19th-20th).

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 specific requirements, enhancing connectivity and complementing Ericsson’s role in delivering high-capacity, reliable network performance for SailGP.

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 that BT has delivered multiple concurrent network slices at the same event, showcasing the technology’s ability to keep fans connected to event experiences as well as power the delivery of seamless operations behind the scenes. It has 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.

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 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, commented: “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, added: “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.”

BT’s latest implementation of network slicing builds on a series of recent deployments, including at Wembley Stadium and Belfast Christmas market. EE’s 5G Standalone network, which launched less than a year ago, is now available to over 30 million people across more than 50 major towns and cities in the UK – covering over 45 per cent of the population.

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Tags: 5G, bt, sailgp