Connecting Formula 1 - one circuit laps the world Connectivity Case Study www.tatacommunications.com @tata_comm
Connectivity Case Study Connecting Formula 1 - one circuit laps the world Formula 1 races occur in some of the most diverse and challenging environments across the globe, from the streets of Monaco to the deserts of Bahrain. No matter how difficult or remote the terrain, every race has to be connected to the rest of the world and fans everywhere. In a sport where milliseconds count, even the smallest downtime can be disastrous. Tata Communications is now the Official Connectivity Provider of Formula 1. Hence the top priority is for Tata Communications to deliver a consistent, reliable connection, which can power Formula One Management s diverse global operations. The highest quality fixed and temporary 100Mb MPLS networks are therefore used to connect each race to the Tata Global Network. The world s largest Tier 1 network spans the world, linking 240 countries, enabling Formula One Management to tap into this resilient, super-fast connection, knowing that vital real-time data will speed securely back to the UK, and straight on to its Formula1.com website. The inside view... Usually Tata Communications is the first team at the track in the weeks leading up to the race. We play a key role in the amazing feat of logistics and organisation that is involved in setting up the trackside operations. When the events are running the onsite team is supported by the Tata Communications remote pit crew from all functions. These virtual teams, spread across the globe and operating out of different time zones, have demonstrated the capability to support dynamic clients both in terms of the technical expectations, and the timescales and flexibility required in delivery. There is no slack in the schedule. We are constantly pushing the boundaries for Formula 1. Mike Winder, Vice President - Advanced Solution Delivery, Tata Communications
The solution As the Official Connectivity Provider to Formula 1, Tata Communications delivers quality connections repeatedly around the world, allowing vital real-time content to travel quickly and reliably. The organisation s global footprint spreads across the Formula 1 race locations, giving it the scope and strength to take complex solutions to challenging locations. Temporary 100Mb MPLS circuits are installed, configured, and tested at each location in just one week, increasing the average 7Mbps bandwidth previously provisioned at events and giving Formula One Management the power to enhance the experience for fans and broadcasters. With an initial tenfold increase in pipeline capacity, they re finding it easier than ever to transfer data. As a feat of networking, it s the equivalent of changing a tyre in under four seconds. From Melbourne in March to Brazil in November, the Tata Communications team sets up, connects (and decommissions) networks for races across the globe. A dedicated race implementation team is there on every race weekend, dealing with the unpredictable and ensuring delivery every day. Detailed planning and on-the-ground flexibility ensure that connections are always available, avoiding even a second of downtime for these essential networks. For seamless interoperability, Tata Communications also provides UK connectivity between Formula One Management offices, increasing bandwidth to improve productivity and offer better collaboration opportunities.
The customer speaks... Formula 1 is a truly global sport, visiting as many as 19 different event locations over the course of a season. It s a huge logistical challenge to ensure that at every one of the circuits we have the same high quality IT connectivity in place, and that s what Tata Communications provides for us. It traditionally takes around 30 days to install, test, run and then dismantle a big MPLS circuit. A lot of planning and effort has gone into condensing that to meet our timescales, with some events just one week apart. Tata Communications responsibility is to make sure that everything we need is ready to commission, and go live is available on time and on spec. Its on-site engineers monitor the connections throughout practices, qualifying and races to ensure the service levels meet our exacting expectations. Commitment and reliability is one of the key reasons we chose Tata Communications as our connectivity provider. Coupled with its global infrastructure and extensive contacts, this association means that we can travel anywhere in the world and still expect the same resilience and quality of connectivity. Eddie Baker, Chief Technical Consultant, Formula One group
Benefits Reliability. All connections link to the Tata Global Network, the world s largest Tier 1 network, offering unsurpassed scale, reliability and performance. Tata Communications is one of very few providers who can offer secure MPLS at every location without having to resort to public internet, which doesn t suit some of the client s applications. Tailored service. Tata Communications has committed to building a service around the needs of Formula 1, delivering to global standards and specific SLAs for the established format of race delivery. Partnerships. To ensure the highest quality last mile connections from each track to the Tata Global Network, strong relationships have been built with leading providers in each country to ensure the reach to exact sites, as well as guarantee that all links are commissioned, tested and ready to use before the Formula 1 teams roll into town. Responsiveness. All connectivity is monitored and managed on race weekends. Tata Communications on-site teams are dedicated to fixing issues in seconds and minutes, instead of the usual hours or days. Flexibility. When Formula 1 agreed to share part of its Barcelona connectivity with another customer so that they could use it to send audio for a leading broadcaster, Tata Communications provisioned and delivered in less than two days. About Connectivity Tata Communications owns and maintains a complete ring of cables around the world, called the Tata Global Network (TGN). Wholly-owned and operated by Tata Communications, it comprises over 500,000km of subsea cable and over 200,000km of terrestrial network fibre, with a data transfer capacity of one terabit per second. This extensive network enables high availability of bandwidth and seamless scalability, with significantly lower latencies and higher uptimes than any other provider. The TGN, along with Tata Communications principal and capacity ownership of consortium cable systems SMW-3, SMW-4, SAFE, SEACOM, FLAG and I2I, offers the greatest diversity and redundancy across the globe.
If we can do this for Formula 1, we can do it for anyone, in any industry. Find out how you could tap into Tata Communications global expertise and innovative thinking to drive your business, by contacting: formula1@tatacommunications.com We focus on serving key vertical segments, including banking and financial services, pharmaceuticals, manufacturing and media and entertainment. With a strong base of over 5000 enterprise customers globally, Tata Communications has the experience and capability to delivery beyond expectations. Visit www.tatacommunications.com/formula1 to find out more about our services. About Tata Communications As a leading global provider of a new world of communications, Tata Communications has the advanced solutions capabilities and domain expertise to deliver managed solutions to service providers, multi-national corporations and large and medium-sized enterprises globally. We have operations, infrastructure and partnerships across established and emerging markets, with a strong portfolio of IP and Cloud services. The Tata Global Network includes one of the most advanced and largest submarine cable networks, a Tier-1 IP network, with connectivity to more than 200 countries across 400 PoPs and nearly 1 million square feet of data centre and colocation space worldwide. The F1 FORMULA 1 logo, F1, FORMULA 1, FIA FORMULA ONE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP, GRAND PRIX and related marks are trademarks of Formula One Licensing BV, a Formula One group company. All rights reserved www.tatacommunications.com @_tatacomm http://tatacommunications-newworld.com www.youtube.com/tatacomms 2013 Tata Communications Ltd. All rights reserved. TATA COMMUNICATIONS and TATA are trademarks of Tata Sons Limited in certain countries.