The New National Stadium

Featuring a stable and secure network infrastructure produced using NTT's all-round capabilities, this stadium aims to help people from around the world to share their excitement in a secure, comfortable way. The stadium was completed in December 2019.

NTT's ICT demonstrated its true power at this opening event

Passing the baton across borders, all in real-time with the same rules.

December 21, 2019

The opening event, ONE RACE, took place to celebrate the New National Stadium's completion. Both men and women with different levels of ability competed in four mixed teams that cut across the conventional boundaries in sport.

The teams participated in a 1,200-meter relay race (6 × 200 meters).

This endeavor was supported by NTT's global network together with its ultra-realistic communication technology, Kirari!

ONE RACE was held at the new Japan National Stadium just after it was completed

The race took place in three different cities around the world--Los Angeles and Paris, plus the National Stadium in Tokyo.
NTT used its global network to broadcast the race in real time,and implemented the ultra-realistic communication technology, Kirari!, to achieve synchronization among the three countries.

This helped to create a single race that cut across borders.

This new form of competition connects people across great distances, and NTT's technologies have brought excitement to the athletes as well as the spectators who thrilled to a brand-new viewing experience.

Over 60,000 people with smartphones in hand watched the opening event from the stands.

The event also featured live performances from popular artists and talks with professional athletes.

Spectators captured images and videos of the event, spreading them across the world via social media and messaging services.

People filled the stands and lit them up with their smartphones in a display that undulated together with the event

Every one of these 60,000 people could seamlessly share their excitement at the same time on social media, just like on any other day.

This achievement proves the stability and quality of the Japan National Stadium's communications infrastructure.

The New National Stadium incorporates the following philosophy: "To create a 'site for new beginnings' that serves as a place for athletes to gather from around the world as they share their excitement and performance as one with spectators, transcending gender, ethnicity, nationality, religion, and physical and mental ability. The rebirth of the New National Stadium encourages all people who visit it to turn over a new leaf and put their ideas into action."

NTT's cutting-edge ICT helps support this philosophy.

A team of NTT Group specialists collaborated to lead the project to success

We successfully installed a stable and secure network infrastructure and a world-class, high-density Wi-Fi network at the New National Stadium.

To develop the venue as a new center for sport in Japan that can shine on the global stage, it needed a stadium network that would seamlessly link the many systems in the complex, as well as a communications environment that could easily accommodate the spectators.

To achieve this goal, the NTT Group assembled a team of experts from NTT East, NTT Communications and NTT Broadband Platform.

These specialists have extensive experience and technical skills in building IP networks and Wi-Fi network, and worked together throughout the process--from design to construction.

This was a key ingredient of the project's success.

As this project required design and construction work to proceed in parallel with preceding building works, the team negotiated the schedule through a series of discussions with the companies involved. The nature of building works meant that some activities did not proceed according to plan. But through the cooperation of many different people, the team resolved a range of different issues to push the project forward.

• A meeting at the on-site office

• Project Manager
  Eiji Tokuno,NTT East

Building the stadium network and integrating many systems together

The stadium network built by NTT links a wide range of systems throughout the venue, including security cameras, access management systems, entrance gates, ribbon-shaped display boards, and digital signage, as well as ICT systems.

NTT also carried out system integration work to link these elements smoothly.

The JSC commissioned different providers to create each of these crucial systems in the stadium.

And it was NTT's job to integrate them for the JSC as required at each step along the way.

It was NTT's job to integrate critical systems in the stadium as required at each step along the way. NTT nurtured a collaborative relationship with each provider, clarified the objectives and direction for the stadium network, and closely communicated with all parties to help the project move ahead.

This system integration work ensured that each system at the stadium was configured efficiently and linked seamlessly via the stadium network.

• 

• Assistant Project Manager
  Takumi Yamada, NTT East

Realizing world-class, high-density Wi-Fi

Taking advantage of our experience and expertise in building and running high-density Wi-Fi at many large stadiums, we placed access points at optimal positions to suit the structure and shape of the New National Stadium. This created a user-friendly and secure communications environment.

For the stands, we estimated the necessary data volumes per spectator and the expected number of concurrent connections, and worked to install one access point for every 70 seats or so.

The stands in the new Japan National Stadium are arranged in three tiers, and so we placed the access points and antennas to fit with handrails, spaces under seats, eaves, and roofs.

We needed adjustments in advance so that building's piping, apertures, and shape would accommodate the devices installed on handrails and spaces under seats in particular. In light of this, NTT held several meetings with each company involved in advance so as to design the building in line with the ideal device arrangement.

Through these efforts, we successfully configured a network to the level of quality the new stadium deserves.

Wi-Fi has also been set up in other places where people gather, including the stadium concourse and around the concessions and ticket stalls. In fact, there are some 1,300 access points in total.

Building a high-density network also required optimal channel setting and fine-tuning at the final stages of construction to avoid interference.

For this, NTT used its cutting-edge research into high-density Wi-Fi to build a stable, high-quality network that offers worry-free Internet so everyone at the stadium can share their excitement via social media or other online platforms.

Moving forward, the stadium will be able to offer a range of services through this Wi-Fi network, such as distributing replays and other videos at large events, not to mention food delivery services.

• We installed Wi-Fi access points beside handrails,
  in spaces under seats,
  and under eaves of the 60,000-seat stadium

• Manager Wireless Technology
  Hidekuni Yoshida, NTT Broadband Platform

• Access points below seats

• Fine-tuning the Wi-Fi configuration

Digital signage displays a broad range of data in the stadium

Digital signage has been set up at an unprecedented scale at the New National Stadium, with some 600 panels in total. This signage is installed in a total of 315 locations: each pillar has one panel and stores have four panels side-by-side above the counter, and there is even a large 18-panel sign near the Sendagaya Gate.

This signage can link in with the large video display, and is integrated with a low-latency real-time distribution system to offer live feeds of information on the games inside the stadium concourse and near the stores.

Apart from providing helpful information related to the event, producing three-dimensional effects, and displaying advertisements, these signs can also be used to help guide people in the event of a fire or disaster.

We took care to follow universal design principles, working to maximize visibility and to accommodate diversity.

This too is a product of our design philosophy cultivated through extensive experience and a long track record.

NTT's achievements in this project are sure to contribute toward future initiatives for smart stadiums and smart cities.

• Digital signage displays a wide range of
  information to spectators and guests,
  and can also create displays in three dimensions

• Project Management Leader digital Signage Construction
  Shohei Ichimiya, NTT Communications

• The digital signage stands in prominent locations near
  the concessions within the concourse

• A large 18-panel digital signage displays content
  that links events, competitions,
  and spectators' cheers

Top-grade communications for securely sending large volumes of data

The stadium network connects the many systems with thousands of pieces of equipment within the venue, and plays a crucial role as communications infrastructure.

This network is used for offering Wi-Fi to a large number of spectators in addition to linking the stadium's systems.

As such, we needed top-grade communications technology to send large volumes of data securely.

To this end, NTT played a central role in work to set up security guidelines for over 50 applications.

When drafting these guidelines, first of all we defined the required security level for each network and application, while at the same time evaluating risk in these networks and systems with respect to confidentiality, integrity, and availability.

If a particular system did not meet the required security level, we asked for the provider to adjust its design or operation. In this way, we took tangible action to ensure security across the entire stadium.

We implemented measures under uniform standards for security, covering electricity, elevators, and other areas of the building in addition to ICT-related systems at the New National Stadium. While there were challenges in gaining the cooperation of providers who were not used to drafting security guidelines, we had a common goal to make the New National Stadium safe and secure, helping us work together. This made it possible to achieve world-standard security in the stadium network.

• Project Manager Network Construction
  Kazuya Sawada, NTT Communications

Connecting ambition and excitement to the future

NTT has built the stadium network, high-density Wi-Fi network, and digital signage in a communication infrastructure with world-class security and stability.

The new Japan National Stadium has emerged as a place that inspires ambition and delivers excitement to people through events of all kinds.

To 2020 and beyond.

The NTT Group's telecommunications technologies will continue to nurture ambition and excitement across the world.