Special Event Support keeps Vodacom South Africa ahead of the game

Large, short-lived events like the 2010 FIFA World Cup create huge mobile traffic demands at a time when the delivery of top quality services is critical for the network operator’s reputation. To meet the communications needs of half a million football fans, Vodacom South Africa turned to Nokia Siemens Networks and its expertise in Special Event Support.

“The challenge was to continue normal operations despite the expected increase in network load. Almost a year before the games, Nokia Siemens Networks approached us outlining the threat to our services and network. Its services and keen understanding of traffic patterns during major events ensured we were prepared."

Andries Delport, Executive Director,
Network and Information
Technology, Vodacom South Africa.

The first football world cup to be held on African soil in 2010 focused the world’s attention on South Africa and its preparations. As well as the stadiums, transport and hotels, another important aspect was the mobile communications networks and how they would cope with a half a million visitors.

As South Africa’s leading mobile communications provider, Vodacom
South Africa provides mobile services to around 24 million customers in a number of countries across the continent. Despite its experience of serving such a large market, the company would clearly need a special effort to help it serve the large numbers of temporary users.

“The challenge was to continue normal operations despite the expected increase in network load,” says Andries Delport, Executive Director, Network and Information Technology, Vodacom South Africa.

Challenges

  • Provision of best-in-class communication services during the FIFA soccer world cup 2010 in Africa with half-a-million visitors
  • Reconcile the varying needs and call patterns of foreign and local subscribers while connecting South Africa with the rest of the world
  • Ensure efficient operations in spite of involvement from multiple stakeholders

Through its Special Event Support services, Nokia Siemens Networks has extensive experience of preparing networks and communications service providers (CSP) for large temporary events ranging from the Summer Games in Greece and Beijing, to the yearly Hajj Pilgrimage to Mecca. It approached Vodacom with a proposal of how its experience and skills could help it manage the expected increase in traffic.

Solutions

  • Use Nokia Siemens Networks Special Event Support spanning consultancy, back-end network monitoring, network optimization and care services
  • Forecast traffic patterns based on available data and establish the necessary support infrastructure
  • Establish efficient risk management and change management processes
  • Set up a network center to specially monitor and resolve network performance issues

Three stage approach makes the network ready
Nokia Siemens Networks Special Event Support services are based on a three stage approach. The first stage was a capacity dimensioning exercise to forecast network requirements in traffic hotspots such as stadiums, airports and hotel areas. At the end of this phase, around January 2010, Nokia Siemens Networks laid out how much network capacity needed to be added across these hotspots.

Then came the ramp up phase with Nokia Siemens Networks providing optimization services to ready the network. A parallel Network Operations Center (NOC) was also set up, manned by about 30 Nokia Siemens Networks staff. The NOC would monitor Vodacom’s multi-vendor radio access network, transmission network, and service delivery during the event.

Benefits

  • Seamless connectivity delivered throughout the event even during peak hours
  • Prioritizing network bandwidth to meet changes in traffic consumption
  • Efficient coordination between Vodacom’s HQ, regional offices, third party vendors
  • Vodacom’s brand perception strengthened both locally and globally

By March 2010, Nokia Siemens Networks had established processes for event set up, risk and crisis management, as well as reviewing operational readiness on a regular basis together with Vodacom, third party vendors, and internal teams such as technical support.

“As an established supplier, not only did Nokia Siemens Networks know our network inside out, but they were able to work with all the stakeholders using streamlined processes to get everybody working together effectively,” says Delport.

Demand for messaging in noisy stadiums
During the tournament itself, the NOC and a Nokia Siemens Networks Care team solved any issues before they could affect services. At one point, a single base station experienced a 500% increase in network traffic. Messaging services were in high demand as spectators found it difficult to make voice calls because of the noise of Vuvuzela horns.

“Nokia Siemens Networks conducted a detailed traffic analysis after each match and made adjustments when required. The increase in GSM data traffic, for example, was so dramatic that Vodacom had to adapt its radio network to meet the increase in data needs. This approach resulted in a high quality and stable network throughout the tournament,” concludes Delport.