'Smart seats’ move into Etihad Stadium: Telstra and Samsung team up

Telstra and Samsung have teamed up to provide luxury leather ‘smart seats’ in the Medallion Club Membership section at Etihad Stadium, in the next phase of a multi-million dollar fit out.

Etihad Stadium acting CEO Michael Green, said 1,000 Medallion Club seats are the most technically-advanced and connected across the globe, enhancing the football experience for fans.

The in-seat technology - which includes tablet displays and a device management system - will replace some existing video seats and offer high definition screens, enabling fans to watch a live match along with the HD replay action. The seats use Samsung’s premium Galaxy Tab S2 9.7-inch tablet range to manage and deliver content to guests. Telstra has provided an IP Cisco network to enable

Telstra is providing the IP Cisco network to enable the seats along with the tablet arm, casing and Samsung Tablets, while Telstra partner, Appscore, has built the system to support the streaming and entertainment available on the tablets.

Green said the organisation looked at similar technology across the globe, and has produced a 'world-first' product, which takes the in stadium sports’ experience to another level.

Executive director, Telstra Business, David Coventry agreed, saying the expectations of fans and how they want to connect at events are changing.

“Fans want to watch live sport but also be in touch with the outside world; keeping up to date with other sports, news and using social media. This, new game day technology, combined with Etihad Stadium’s free WiFi will continue to enrich the fan experience,” Coventry said.

Danny Mandrides, head of mobility at Samsung Electronics Australia, said the smart seat solution is a mix of hardware, applications and software security “to support a rich, visual experience directly from the stadium seat.”

In addition to a planned roll-out of 1000 Tab S2 devices, Samsung has provided technical support to help manage tablet content, app updates, and security through the Samsung KNOX mobile security platform.