Selection Services Provide Network Support Allowing Wimbledon to Serve Up an Ace This Summer



IT support contract will ensure global sporting event runs without a single ‘fault’

Selection Services , for the third year running, assisted The All England Lawn Tennis Club (AELTC) to support its Cisco communications network during this year’s Championships at Wimbledon. The network plays a critical role in ensuring the World’s media have real-time access to all the latest news from the tournament in order to provide the best possible coverage.

The agreement will see Selection Services support the event’s Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN), which will enable over 500 attending reporters from over 60 countries to access all information on the tournament, up to the minute schedules and match scores. Selection Services will also monitor the press and Cisco Internet links, allowing the media to uplink reports and photography in real time. The network also plays a crucial role in sending out match scores, alerts and information to the world’s press.

Selection Services will arrive at Wimbledon two weeks prior to the event, to test the Cisco wireless network. A skilled team of technicians will then remain onsite for the duration of the tournament to provide ongoing fault evaluation, diagnostics and software support, to ensure maximum uptime for the network.

“Wimbledon is a hugely popular tournament. Network resilience is critical to ensure that the tournament runs as efficiently as possible and that the world’s press have the necessary means to cover the event successfully. Three years ago our existing network supplier went into liquidation and we were hugely grateful to Selection Services when they stepped in at short notice. Following the first phase of our major upgrade of the network, it made sense to maintain some continuity of support and we are pleased that Selection is joining our team to perform that role,” said Jeff Lucas, All England Lawn Tennis Club.

“With the world watching, network stability and protection against IT downtime is critical for large events such as Wimbledon. By including Selection Services personnel in the IT support team, The All England Lawn Tennis Club is able to protect its reputation and achieve real cost and operational benefits,” commented Alan Cantwell, CEO of Selection Services.