Ooredoo Chief Commercial Officer: 11.4 Million Voice Calls, 801TB Data Downloads During World Cup

Doha, December 21 (QNA) - Qatar's communications company Ooredoo confirmed that the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 fans made more than 11.4 million voice calls during the tournament, while more than 650,000 calls were made during the final match, which was held between Argentina and France on December 18 at the Lusail Stadium. HE the Chief Commercial Officer at Ooredoo Sheikh Nasser bin Hamad bin Nasser Al-Thani said that the World Cup was an exceptional event and provided an irreplaceable opportunity to show the capabilities of Ooredoo network to the world. Ooredoo explained that at the tournament's final match saw a record-breaking 45.1TB data used, 8.4TB of stadium Wi-Fi used, more than 650,000 calls made and 32,000 fans using roaming. "The atmosphere in Doha has been nothing short of spectacular across the past few weeks, and this has been matched within Ooredoo; as each record was set and then broken, and each day we saw just what an incredible experience football fans were able to enjoy thanks to the efforts of each and every Ooredoo team member," HE the Chief Commercial Officer at Ooredoo Sheikh Nasser Bin Hamad bin Nasser Al-Thani said. He added that the 3.4 million fans attending used a phenomenal 801TB data, of which 40.3 percent was via Ooredoo's pioneering 5G at a speed of up to 236Mbps. 58.2 percent was on the 4G network at a speed of up to 19Mbps. 201TB of Wi-Fi was used in and around the eight stadiums. Sheikh Nasser pointed out that the tournament's fans made more than 11.4 million voice calls throughout the event, of which 63.1 percent were VoLTE, with a call success rate of 99.95 percent, and an incredible 646,000 fans used roaming. He added that Ooredoo placed 8,466 antennae in the eight stadiums to support the network, whilst a team of more than 500 experts on the ground ensured seamless service. The Ooredoo Chief Commercial Officer added that the Lusail Stadium saw the highest figures, with 222TB data used and 2.9 million calls made throughout the tournament. Sheikh Nasser concluded that years of strategic investment in innovation and technology ensured Ooredoo was perfectly placed to deliver seamless connectivity and a vastly enhanced the fans' experience. Adding: "Our extensive preparations for the sporting mega-event, including the comprehensive network modernization and collaboration with several of the world's leading technology giants, meant we were more than capable of delivering on our ambitious promises. I'm sure it will be agreed across the globe that Qatar laid on an absolutely world-class, record-breaking FIFA World Cup , and that Ooredoo presented a phenomenal display of what will surely now be industry standard communications and connectivity for such major global events." Part of Ooredoo's preparations for the World Cup, a full 4G/5G mobile network modernization - incorporating the very latest, most advanced equipment and functionalities - ensured complete readiness for FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022TM. Proper network capacity and resiliency throughout all network components - RAN, Core and Transport - was ensured for both national and international segments, and included full modernization of the core, with a sophisticated cloud core network in state-of-the-art data centers. Additionally, a major upgrade of outdoor radio sites with the latest 5G technology maximized country-level coverage, including stadiums, airports, rail networks, fan zones and other FIFA-related facilities. Capacity for fan zones and other event venues and hotspots was enhanced. More than 1,130 multi-beam antennas connected over 355 kilometers of RF cables and over 202 kilometers of fiber optic, covering the eight stadiums and immediate surrounding areas with 4G and 5G. The stadiums' surrounding areas were covered with 41 smart communication towers, and 45 outdoor sites with maximum capacity, in addition to Mobile network services with 5,000+ cells, TETRA services and Wi-Fi backbone offered state-of-the-art 5G, 4G, 3G and 2G technologies at all eight stadiums. A focused taskforce comprising more than 400 experts handled operations from a centralized state-of-the-art Service Operation Centre, supported by a network of multiple remote hubs and field operations round-the-clock. Technical experts with experience in major global events were engaged to support during the 2022 tournament. Ooredoo used a new AI-powered process of identity authentication and SIM card activation to speed up and simplify its onboarding process. The service deployed a sophisticated AI-based digital Know Your Customer (KYC) technology to quickly and efficiently establish the real identity of users in the digital world. An AI-powered Virtual Voice Assistant, utilizing Google Contact Centre Artificial Intelligence, was available 24/7 to assist customers in nine different languages, including English, Spanish, French, German, Portuguese, Japanese, Korean and Arabic. Network enhancements included upgrades of Ooredoo's National and International Transport IP links capacity, ensuring abundant bandwidth for internet connectivity with international servers for popular OTT applications such as Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp and more. These upgrades also ensured the provision of high-quality voice calls and an excellent roaming experience, enabling customers and broadcasters to stay connected with their international home destinations. Ooredoo included the connection of approximately 50 event broadcasters around the world to the Ooredoo network and the Qatar International Broadcasting Centre to transmit live video and data, providing tournament carriers with the quality and flexibility needed to produce and distribute broadcast video content. Ooredoo provided the best services to FIFA and to the World Cup participants; more than 350 FIFA buses that were used to transport players, match officials and media representatives were provided with mobile broadband, with some 300 of these also fitted with managed Wi-Fi systems. (QNA)