Networking and connectivity specialist, North has delivered an extensive audit, design, and upgrade of the network infrastructure for The 151st Open taking place at Royal Liverpool Golf Club, Merseyside, between 16 – 23 July.
This represents the seventh time North has supported the international event, having worked in partnership with organisers, The R&A, to manage all event critical communications solutions at The Open since 2016. The team at North started work at Royal Liverpool in February 2023 after 18 months of design and planning and will remain on-site for the duration of the event to provide critical event-time support.
North redesigned and expanded the network infrastructure at Royal Liverpool to create a fully resilient fibre and copper network to enable the state-of-the-art technologies required to facilitate the event for players, media, and spectators. This includes a high-speed network infrastructure to support all TV and radio broadcast media, telephony, public Wi-Fi, CCTV, point-of-sale technology, and digital leaderboards. These upgrades will also ensure the course has the capability to support future events.
Established in 1860 and recognised as the oldest – and arguably one of the most prestigious – golf tournaments in the world, The Open is always played at iconic coastal links golf courses and attracted a record number of 290,000 spectators when it was hosted in St Andrew’s last year.
Brian McGinley, Accounts Director at North, said: “The Open is recognised as one of the most important golfing events internationally and we’re proud to be working in partnership once again with The R&A to support the delivery of what will no doubt be another unforgettable event for players and millions of spectators.
“Upgrading to high-performance, best-in-class network infrastructure ensures that events are well executed and improves the experience for the media, players and spectators. As an event technology specialist, North is well-positioned to understand the unique and advanced requirements of both prestigious courses and The Open.
“We are looking forward to continuing our close partnership with The R&A to complete the world-class, high-performance network infrastructure that enables uninterrupted communications, and to being on-site to ensure seamless support for the duration of the event.”
The North team is working in consultation with other event and course stakeholders, including broadcasters and greenkeepers to ensure that their specific needs are supported.
