The discreet little boxes keeping you connected at One New Zealand Stadium at Te Kaha

How Te Kaha delivered 3.4TB of data on opening weekend.

This content was prepared by Kordia and is being published by The New Zealand Herald as Advertorial.

If you went to the new One New Zealand Stadium for the historic Super Rugby Pacific Super Round recently, you may have noticed
the discreet router-like boxes high up in the concourse ceilings. These are the devices behind the state-of-the-art mobile connectivity not just for people at the stadium, but also the wider Christchurch CBD.

The system, designed and built by critical communications company Kordia, is known as a Distributed Antenna System (DAS). This is how even at sold-out events with tens of thousands of people, fans can use their phones normally – uploading social media photos of the event, livestreaming and calling friends and family.

What is a Distributed Antenna System (DAS)?

A DAS brings mobile coverage across a venue by placing antennas throughout the building and linking them back to a central signal source. There are 250 antennas around the stadium so fans have seamless in-stadium connectivity.

Large buildings like stadiums have unique connectivity challenges for mobile networks – 5G signals in particular struggle to penetrate through materials such as reinforced concrete, which means innovation solutions are required. This system is designed to help distribute that demand more efficiently, ensuring reliable connectivity indoors, even in high-demand environments.

When tested at match days on the opening weekend, the DAS system stayed stable under heavy demand – as reported by One New Zealand – delivering more than 3.4TB of data across 4G and 5G.

It’s a proven technology. Kordia has designed, built, or assisted in the implementation of similar solutions for premier venues in other parts of New Zealand too, such as the New Zealand International Convention Centre, the IKEA store, ANZ Centre and the PwC Tower in Auckland.

Another benefit is that the stadium uses shared in-building mobile infrastructure, with these antennas enabling One New Zealand, alongside Spark and 2degrees, to deliver strong performance without unnecessary duplication of equipment — a more efficient way to keep fans connected.

Supporting Christchurch’s connectivity resilience

The DAS system has been built for Christchurch’s new world-class venue – but it also helps support the network operators manage their cell tower performance around the stadium.

When tens of thousands of people converge in one location at the same time and all connect to nearby cell towers, this can impact mobile coverage in the vicinity, affecting people who aren’t even at the event.

By balancing the load on the network, the DAS ensures the people of Christchurch – both in and outside the stadium – all experience the benefits of this technology at the city’s cutting-edge venue, while helping to ensure that local businesses and emergency services can continue to rely on good mobile service.

The DAS system is a vital piece of infrastructure and the results confirm the in-stadium connectivity for One New Zealand Stadium is ready to support major national and international events with confidence.

Want to know more about DAS and how to enhance in-building mobile coverage? Check out Kordia’s website.

Planning your next visit? Check out the One New Zealand Stadium line-up: www.onenewzealandstadium.co.nz/whats-on

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