Santiago Bernabéu Stadium to Feature One of World’s Largest Deployments of Wi-Fi 6 Technology

MADRID, Spain, March 17, 2022 — Real Madrid and Cisco, a leader in enterprise networking and security, have announced a multiyear global partnership during which they will deploy the largest Wi-Fi 6 stadium network in Europe to date that will make Santiago Bernabéu Stadium one of the most technologically-advanced sporting venues in the world.

As an Official Technology Partner of the Club, Cisco will outfit Santiago Bernabéu Stadium with an end-to-end deployment of its industry-leading technology, all built on a single, converged, intelligent Cisco network.

The 85,000-seat multi-purpose stadium will feature the latest in Wi-Fi 6 for connectivity to power the ultimate fan experience. More than 1,200 Wi-Fi 6 access points in Santiago Bernabéu Stadium will deliver faster speeds for more immersive experience applications, as well as more bandwidth and higher reliability than the previous Wi-Fi standard.

Stadiums utilizing Cisco’s Wi-Fi 6 technology have seen record-breaking levels of data traffic and fan consumption, consistently reaching levels of engagement only previously seen at the largest sporting events in the world.

“Thanks to this collaboration agreement with Cisco, a leader in connectivity and content management, the new Santiago Bernabéu Stadium ensures that it can take data, voice and video to any point and thus guarantee the widest range of services and an unrivalled spectacle in the world of football," said Emilio Butragueño, Director of Institutional Relations at Real Madrid C.F.

Optimized experiences and operations

One of the most storied and celebrated Clubs in the world, Real Madrid is widely recognized as a global leader of sports innovation, with millions of supporters spread across the globe. Through the partnership, Real Madrid will leverage not only the full breadth of Cisco solutions – from enterprise networking and security to data center, digital signage and more – but also its industry-leading expertise in working alongside the largest sporting organizations, leagues, teams, and venues in the world.

On the back of a single, converged Cisco network that is inherently secure, fast, and reliable, Real Madrid will be able to enhance gameday operations as well as provide unmatched, innovative experiences for their fans in the venue and around the world.

More than 1,000 screens powered by Cisco’s end-to-end IPTV solution – which combines high-definition video delivery with state-of-the art digital signage – will allow the Club to drive incremental revenue, activation, and fan engagement throughout the complex.

“Real Madrid is one of the crown jewels of football,” said Wendy Mars, President, Cisco EMEAR. “We are thrilled to add a club with such a rich history to Cisco’s global portfolio of sports partnerships and look forward to uniting the collective power of our two global brands to drive a more connected and inclusive future for this sport.”

Today’s announcement builds upon an existing relationship between the two organizations, as Cisco solutions have served as the technological foundation of Santiago Bernabéu Stadium for many years. The expanded partnership will allow Real Madrid to further strengthen their reputation as a global leader of innovation and leverage Cisco’s experience and expertise to help ensure the world-class arena remains at the forefront of technology for years to come.

For more than a decade, Cisco’s sports and entertainment solutions and expertise have been relied upon by hundreds of industry-leading venues, teams, events, and organizations around the world, including SoFi Stadium, the Olympic and Paralympic Games, City Football Group, Riot Games, the National Football League and many more.

Supporting Resources

• Raising the Game for Real Madrid’s Fans and the Sports Industry: Blog by Andreu Vilamitjana, Cisco Spain General Manager

About Real Madrid

Real Madrid C.F. is a sport entity with 119 years of history. It is the club with the most European Cups of both football (13) and basketball (10) and was awarded by FIFA as the Best Club of the twentieth century. Real Madrid has millions of fans in all corners of the world, with 387 million followers on social networks, and is for the third year in a row the most valuable football club in Europe according to The European Elite 2020 report, prepared by consultancy KPMG. Real Madrid is the most valuable football brand in the world for Brand Finance for the third year in a row and achieved the highest record in the Transparency Index of Football Clubs last season. More information about Real Madrid C.F. is available at www.realmadrid.com, the most visited soccer club website for the fifth consecutive year.

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