Qatar builds state of the art fibre network for FIFA World Cup 2022

Doha, TGO: The Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy (SC) has built a state oft the art fibre network system ahead of the World Cup to deliver the highest possible quality and speed for live broadcasts.

The International Broadcast Coordination Centre, which will send all the footage from the tournament to the rest of the world, is located next to Al Bayt Stadium, where both the opening and final matches will be played.

The fibre optic network will connect every stadium with the IBC and will be supported by traditional satellite broadcasting capabilities. This will ensure that media rights licensees are guaranteed an uninterrupted signal.

This is not the first time that Qatar has tested this network. In the end of 2021, the first phase of the high-speed fiber optic network was tested during the FIFA Arab Cup, which included matches at six tournament venues.

“What matters to us is for people around the world to take in all the action from the field of play and to learn more about Qatar and the region through the lens of the World Cup,” said Maryam Al Muftah, the SC’s Director of Digital Services & Innovation. “That’s why we wanted to deliver a higher network capacity than ever before.”

The second phase of the project is underway, and will bring both of Lusail and Khalifa International stadiums into the network. Once complete, the network will also connect team base camps and external broadcasting sites.

During the FIFA World Cup, all tournament sites and other broadcast locations will send video feeds to the IBC before making their way around the world.

There are some basic differences between Fiber Optic and Wireless Broadband technologies.

Fiber optic provides much higher speed than a wireless network would. This avoids delays during peak hours of usage, which is bound to happen when using regular wireless network. On the other hand, a fiber optic network does not get affected in such situation, where the connection speed remains good even during peak hours.

Billions of fans around the world are set to tune in to matches during the tournament, which will be held at eight stadiums from 21 November to 18 December.

Globally, fans proved their enthusiasm ahead of football’s biggest celebration when 17 million ticket requests were received in the first sales period of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, which lasted just 20 days.

The most sought after match requests were for the grand finale, which is set to take place on 18 December with 1.8 million ticket requests alone. During the first phase for Russia 2018, the country recorded 300,000 tickets for the closing match.

To date, 15 out of the 32 countries have qualified for the grand tournament. Qualification matches will continue this year until the intercontinental play-offs.

The opening match will kick-off on 21 November, 2022, at Al Bayt Stadium.