Most-connected Island Games

During the Guernsey 2023 NatWest International Island Games we recorded significant spikes in network traffic as islanders and visitors shared the highlights and connected over the incredible moments of an amazing Games week.

Sure WiFi networks installed in all 25 Games venues recorded more than 2 terabytes (TB) of data – that equates to around 200,000 photos taken on a typical smartphone, or 800 hours of video shot at high definition 1080p – being used across the seven-day event.

Over 8,000 people connected to the Sure public WiFi network during the week of the Games.

Sure provided all 3,000 visiting athletes, volunteers and officials with a SIM card, so they could enjoy the local 4G mobile network. Those who used their SIM on the 4G network, combined with local Sure customers, used an extra 1.5TB of data compared to an average week, and with visitors roaming on Sure’s network , Sure saw an impressive 20% uplift of data usage across the period of the Games.

The results page of the Island Games official website was accessed 2.5m times from Sure connections including 11 fibre venues and 4G mobile broadband.

The Guernsey 2023 YouTube channel’s live streaming of events was powered by Sure Fibre and proved popular with the football, basketball and athletics all gaining over 6,000 views, sharing the action with spectators and supporters from other islands. Events were often so well attended that local fans turned to the fibre-fed live streams at the venues on big screens when venues were at capacity.

Alistair Beak, Group CEO of Sure, said: “We wanted to make this the most-connected Games ever and we succeeded in that aim. Sure’s network did not falter during the Games, a sign that the investment we have made in fibre and 4G connectivity is able to withstand spikes in activity, multiple users and data-intensive activities like video streaming. The feedback has been fantastic and clearly the connectivity enhanced the fan experience. We were proud to be the Technology Partner of the Games, and congratulate the organisers on a spectacular week.

“Sure has been supporting local sport for a number of years, building up to the Games, and we wanted our partnership to have a meaningful legacy to benefit the whole community. The culmination of that support is donating 12 months of broadband to every venue, future proofing them with the latest fibre and 4G technology.”

Amanda Hibbs, Communications and Events Director for the Guernsey 2023 NatWest International Island Games, said: “Guernsey 2023 was incredibly well connected. Technology and sport go hand-in-hand these days, and we’re immensely grateful to Sure, who rose to the challenge of making sure we had all the technology we needed to make the Games a success.”

Fibre technology at venues meant the Island Games media and organisers could take advantage of the ultrafast upload speeds and unlimited data, and spectators on island and around the world could watch every second, with no buffering or slow down.