The Arctic Race of Norway brings massive 4G network upgrades
May 13 th 2016 - 13:52
Telenor - represented by Director Head of Coverage Bjørn Amundsen and Head of Sponsoring Petter Svendsen– signed on Thursday May 12th a three-year contract with Knut-Eirik Dybdal, Managing Director of the Arctic Race of Norway. One important aspect of the agreement is the significant upgrade of base stations. These upgrades will be made in order to ensure optimal conditions in August for the live TV coverage and for spectators following the race.
"Telenor is in the process of upgrading 24 base stations, investing close to 12 million NOK in an expanded 4G network within and around this year's race route. By comparison, the cost of upgrades in relation to last year's Arctic Race amounted to 3 millon NOK, approximately. This year's upgrades are therefore considerable in this region. Our agreement with the Arctic Race of Norway represents an important part of our national transition from 2G to 4G", informs Head of Coverage in Telenor, Bjørn Amundsen.
The upgrades of Saltfjellet mountain passage are already in place and soon the base stations of Saltstraumen and other key points along the route will follow. The process of upgrading the region has been speeded up considerably because of this year's edition of the ARN and everything should be ready before the race starts on August 11.
"Our agreement with Telenor entails much more than a standard commercial sponsorship. The most important dimension of this new partnership is to develop the technological aspect of the race", affirms Knut-Eirik Dybdal, Managing Director of the ARN.
"With 4G coverage we have the possibility to show live images from the race, even from our in-race cars. We can also report live from the great animations created by the spectators along the route, in the hours before the peloton passes. This new dimension is an important development of the Arctic Race of Norway", Knut-Eirik Dybdal concludes.
The four stages of the Arctic Race of Norway 2016:
➢ Stage 1, Thursday August 11: Fauske - Rognan, 176 km
➢ Stage 2, Friday August 12: Mo i Rana - Sandnessjøen, 198 km
➢ Stage 3, Saturday August 13: Nesna - Korgfjellet, 160 km
➢ Stage 4, Friday August 14: Arctic Circle (Municipality of Rana) - Bodø, 193 km