Manchester City FC is working with Cisco and O2 to bring high-density wi-fi to the Etihad Stadium.

The 47,000 seat capacity stadium will become the first in the English Premier League to deploy Cisco’s Connected Stadium Wi-Fi solution, which is able to provide thousands of devices with a  high-speed internet connection.

This is part of Manchester Citys relationship with O2, which will also see the introduction of technology to significantly improve mobile phone connectivity in the ground.

As well as providing a more reliable way for people to connect on match day, these technologies will help with the introduction of StadiumVision Mobile in the near future. This service is capable of delivering live video and relevant event information to mobile devices with minimal delay and can offer multiple channels of unique content – so it could be delivering alternate angle live view, dynamic data and replay channels to fans simultaneously.

“As a club that is passionate about innovation and prides itself on constantly looking for ways to enhance our supporters’ experience at the Etihad Stadium, we feel we have found the perfect solution with O2 and Cisco,” said Tom Glick, chief commercial & operating officer for Manchester City. 

“With the ground and its immediate vicinity offering ubiquitous connectivity, we will soon be able to provide full talk and texting capabilities, while paving the way for exciting new mobile data applications and services – such as mobile video – that will ensure a visit to the Etihad Stadium continues to be one of the best sports experiences available anywhere in the world.”

Its worth noting that while Manchester City might be the first Premier League team to deploy this particular high-density wi-fi technology, Liverpool FC actually started rolling out wi-fi at Anfield Stadium last month.