Please select your home edition
Edition
North Sails Loft 57 Podcast

America's Cup: Emirates Team NZ sponsor announces 5G

by Emirates Team NZ 21 Nov 2018 20:16 PST 22 November 2018
Spark NZ starts the 5G clock for the start of ETNZ's and the America's Cup program in July 2020 © Nicola Topping

Spark and Emirates Team New Zealand opened New Zealand’s first interactive 5G test lab on Monday, by starting an official countdown to Spark’s proposed 5G network launch date.

Spark aims to have New Zealand’s first 5G network live on the Auckland Harbour by 1 July 2020 for Emirates Team New Zealand to use as part of its preparation to defend the America’s Cup.The lab opening saw both partners talk for the first time about their plans for Spark’s 5G technology and how they will use it to give Emirates Team New Zealand an edge in its defence of the 36th America’s Cup in 2021.

“Today is an important day on the roadmap to the next generation of mobile technology,” said Spark Managing Director, Simon Moutter.

“It marks the first time in New Zealand that a true 5G pre-commercial network will be turned on and available for Kiwi businesses to explore, learn and create products that will define the future of 5G. The Spark 5G Lab is primarily designed to give New Zealand companies – our customers and partners - easy access to a 5G network so they can experiment with live 5G technology. We want to be the easiest company to work with, with the most collaborative team, and with the best network. We are basing some of our engineers at the lab and will have technical support and a working space available for our customers and partners to come in and collaborate with us on co-creating the 5G future.”

With digital technology being seen as key to the America's Cup, Emirates Team New Zealand says the partnership is an important part of their planning and strategy.

“The relationship between Emirates Team New Zealand and Spark will give us an opportunity to have unrestricted access to a 5G network that will help us defend the America’s Cup in 2021,” said CEO of Emirates Team New Zealand, Grant Dalton.

“We do not necessarily know the full extent of these opportunities yet, but we know they are going to make a huge difference to the race.”

Dan Bernasconi, Head of Design at Emirates Team New Zealand, said that in order to win the cup in 2021 they needed to win the innovation race first.

“The America’s Cup is as much a technology race as it is a yacht race. We know the scope for 5G technology to help make the boat go faster is significant.”

Access to the 5G network and its reduced latency and higher bandwidth means that through the on-water testing stage the Emirates Team New Zealand designers back at base will be able to get data and analytics in real-time.

“This will make a huge difference. In Bermuda our designers had to spend hundreds of hours out on the water on chase boats close to the yacht in order to get data to then upload and analyse once they were back on shore. From there, they would look at what needed to be done for the next test day.

“With 5G our design-thinking can evolve faster, allowing us to explore more design options and buy us more of one of the most precious commodities in the America’s Cup – time. This could be a game changer for us,” said Bernasconi.

The Spark 5G Lab has a dual purpose. It’s primarily designed to be a collaboration space for New Zealand innovators, entrepreneurs and companies like Emirates Team New Zealand to have early access to 5G, so they can test and develop products and experiences that will define the future. The lab will also host technologies that showcase some of the possibilities and benefits of 5G such as robotics, virtual reality, facial recognition, Internet of Things (IoT), smart cities, emergency services drones and driverless cars.

“We believe that most of the amazing things you can do with 5G are yet to be invented, so it is crucial we collaborate with businesses like Emirates Team New Zealand to start co-creating the future of 5G,” said Moutter.

“Spark is fully committed to helping Emirates Team New Zealand innovate, test and push the boundaries of technology in their quest to defend the cup, and we are thrilled they are the first partner to have jumped on board to start testing the 5G network with us through this facility,” said Moutter. “We’ll be aiming to support real-time analytics via the 5G network to help make the boat go faster.”

Tina Symmans, the Chair of Americas Cup Event Ltd, said that 5G would help provide a spectator experience that New Zealand has never seen before.

“Imagine being able to sit on your sofa and experience being ‘on the boat’ through virtual reality or live streaming the online race data while you are standing on North Head with thousands of the other spectators – watching the boats in action. We could have driverless cars taking people around the cup village, ensure traffic management and safety is catered for through smart city connectivity, even down to sensors telling us when rubbish bins are full and where to park,” said Symmans.

Spark 5G Lab is located in Auckland’s Wynyard Quarter Innovation Precinct, near the America’s Cup team bases.

Related Articles

America's Cup: Luna Rossa sail two AC40s
Luna Rossa Youth and Womens team sail two AC40s marking the anniversary of their 2024 wins The Italian Challenger Luna Rossa has opened its account in the 2027 America's Cup, sailing two AC40s from the team's permanent base in Cagliari, Sardinia. The occasion was a celebration of their wins in the Youth and Womens America's Cups Posted on 1 Oct
SailGP and America's Cup on collision course
Serious schedule clashes ahead as a group of professional sailors try to serve two masters. "This America's Cup has to be their #1 priority. Frankly, as far as I am concerned, it's the only priority", Emirates Team NZ CEO Grant Dalton on pro sailors wanting to compete in SailGP as well as the America's Cup. Posted on 26 Sep
America's Cup: Ray Davies scouts Naples
Ray Davies of Emirates Team New Zealand recently made a vibrant stop in Naples, Italy Ray Davies of Emirates Team New Zealand recently made a "vibrant" stop in Naples, Italy, ahead of the upcoming Louis Vuitton 38th America's Cup, and was left in awe of both the city and its sailing conditions. Posted on 25 Sep
America's Cup: Controversial agreement signed
According to Italian media, the secret AC Partnership agreement has been signed by CoR/D* International sailing journalist, Fabio Pozo, writing for the Milan based newspaper La Stampa, reports that the secret America's Cup Partnership (ACP) agreement is expected to be signed next week. Posted on 21 Sep
America's Cup: Vision for the Naples unveiled
Emirates Team NZ and Sport e Salute unveiled the vision for the America's Cup in Naples in 2027. Emirates Team NZ and Sport e Salute, the publicly-owned Italian company responsible for promoting sports and a healthy lifestyle across the nation, unveiled the vision for the Louis Vuitton 38th America's Cup in Naples in 2027. Posted on 20 Sep
Womens America's Cup opportunities expand
the pathway for female athletes has never been stronger than in the Louis Vuitton 38th America's Cup 2024 and the inaugural Puig Women's America's Cup was announced following the publication of the Protocol for the Louis Vuitton 37th America's Cup in Barcelona. It was a moment not only for women's sport and equality but showed that the America's Cup was Posted on 19 Sep
America's Cup: The Elephant(s) in the Room
Some shafts of light have been shed on the negotiation positions of the Challengers and Defender. With nearly 250 pages of America's Cup regulations released, it's clear both the Challenger and Defender have ben forced to take a pragmatic stance on the Naples Cup. Some shafts of light have been shed on the positions of the Challengers and Defender. Posted on 18 Sep
America's Cup: Luna Rossa's Challenge accepted
According to local media the Italian team, Luna Rossa has had its Challenge accepted by the Kiwis. Leading America's Cup journalist, Fabio Pozzo, reports that the Italian team, Luna Rossa has had its Challenge accepted for the 2027 Cup in Naples. Posted on 12 Sep
America's Cup: ETNZ's design boss on new AC75 Rule
Kiwi design chief, Dan Bernasconi on recycled AC75 hulls, electric power and other rule changes. Kiwi design chief, Dan Bernasconi on the use of recycled AC75 hulls, the switch to full electric power, and other changes. He claims there is plenty of performance gain left in the AC75 for the designer teams. Posted on 12 Sep
America's Cup: Class Rule and Tech Regs out
The America's Cup Class Rule and Technical Regulations for the Naples Match have been published With the clock ticking down to the start of the Louis Vuitton 38th America's Cup in Naples in 2027, the AC75 Class Rules and Technical Regulations have been issued to all teams and published with a focus on cost containment. Posted on 11 Sep
North Sails Loft 57 PodcastHenri-Lloyd Dynamic RangeDoyle_SailWorld_728X90px_cruise BOTTOM