Smart venues, smarter Wi-Fi: Connecting sporting facilities, stadiums, and public spaces across the Gulf

Across the Gulf, digital connectivity is transforming how venues operate, entertain, and engage. From Bahrain to Oman and beyond, national investments in tourism, sports, and public infrastructure share a common demand: smarter, more reliable Wi-Fi. This article presents perspectives from Bahrain and Oman – two countries with fast-evolving venue strategies – offering insights relevant to stakeholders across the wider GCC.

Sporting venues, stadiums, and public spaces are rapidly evolving to meet new digital expectations. From streaming a match to booking a court or navigating a live event through a mobile app, visitors today expect fast, seamless Wi-Fi as part of the experience. It’s no longer just about the physical space – it’s about the digital layer that brings it to life.

At Northstar Telecom, we deliver outdoor-ready, high-capacity Wi-Fi networks using the IO by HFCL platform – engineered for Gulf conditions such as high temperatures, dust, and large, open environments with unpredictable user demand. These networks provide the foundation for smarter, more connected venues –supporting everything from visitor experience to operational efficiency.

Sports facilities are a clear example. Golf clubs now integrate hospitality, mobile scoring, GPS-enabled carts, and real-time booking. Padel, one of the fastest-growing sports in the region, increasingly relies on mobile platforms for scheduling, membership management, and match-day engagement. Stadiums hosting football fans demand robust connectivity to support mobile ticketing, instant replays, live streaming, and social media sharing – all in real time.

Public venues are seeing similar shifts. Waterfronts, event spaces, heritage sites, and promenades are all integrating digital services – whether it’s e-ticketing, location-aware content, or visitor engagement tools. Outdoor music venues and festivals now rely on high-capacity networks to power event apps, vendor systems, live content delivery, and crowd communication. In all these settings, Wi-Fi isn’t just for convenience; it supports tourism strategies, safety communications, and data-driven planning.

“In Oman, we’re seeing the same trend – sports complexes and public venues are increasingly looking to Wi-Fi as a foundational utility,” says Vikas Anand, Solutions Engineer at Interstellar Technologies. “Whether it’s a beachfront event or a football training ground, connectivity is no longer a luxury – it’s expected.”

Using discreet, weather-resistant access points and a cloud-based controller, our solutions give venue teams complete visibility and control – allowing them to scale bandwidth, manage usage, segment guest and operational traffic, and respond to live network demands securely and efficiently.

As investment continues across the Gulf in sports, leisure, and tourism infrastructure, the importance of connectivity only grows. From service delivery to guest satisfaction, high-performance Wi-Fi is now a core part of how venues operate – and how they are remembered.

In today’s landscape, the most successful destinations aren’t just well designed. They’re well connected.

This article reflects joint insights from Northstar Telecom (Bahrain) and Interstellar Technologies (Oman), regional partners delivering advanced wireless connectivity solutions powered by IO by HFCL.

By Tony Chacko, Director of Operations, Northstar Telecom
and Vikas Anand, Solutions Engineer, Interstellar Technologies, Oman