BT announced that it has designed and delivered 4G wireless and fixed networks for the Land Rover BAR sailing team, as part of its sponsorship of the group competing in the America's Cup.
BT was tasked with delivering the team’s 'Virtual Chase Boat'. This allows data relating to the catamaran’s performance, local sailing and weather conditions to be collected and transmitted direct from the boat back to the team’s operations centres in Bermuda and the UK. This data is then analysed and fed back to the crew to help improve the boat’s performance and give the team a competitive edge.
BT said it selected a "military-grade" LTE wireless link to transmit data and video footage from the boat on the Great Sound race course back to the base on the shore. Its global MPLS network then connects the support team in Bermuda with the technical team in Portsmouth. The Virtual Chase Boat removes the need for Land Rover BAR to deploy a team of engineers in a powerboat to follow the catamaran to capture and analyse its performance data.
To transmit data from the boat back to shore, BT has installed a private band 4G wireless system. The LTE system operates at the 2043.5 MHz spectrum band in the UK and Bermuda.
Source: https://www.telecompaper.com/news/bt-delivers-private-lte-connection-for-sailing-team--1186590