Cisco lands deal for LA Olympics in 2028

Cisco said it will be the "Official Network Equipment Partner" for the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles. However, the company wouldn't provide details on exactly what that agreement entails.

"Connectivity is going to be integral as we plan to deliver the Olympic and Paralympic Games all throughout Los Angeles," said LA28 Chairperson and President Casey Wasserman in a release. "Cisco's leadership in the industry and experience will enable us to provide the best and most seamless experience for our athletes, fans, partners and community at large."

As Light Reading previously reported, LA28 is the private nonprofit that's helping to organize the 2028 Olympics and Paralympics in Los Angeles, California. As with any major media event, telecommunications will play a key role in broadcasting the event around the world, as well as organizing the athletes and staff managing the LA event.

The telecommunications network for LA28 "cannot fail," Kamal Sadarangani, the head of telecommunications for LA28, told Light Reading last year.

To be clear, Cisco will likely be one of many vendors supporting the LA Olympics in 2028. For example, Cisco has also been an official partner for the Olympics in London (2012), Rio de Janeiro (2016) and Tokyo (2020). It's also one of the official partners for the Paris Olympics, which is scheduled to start next month.

In Paris, private 5G networks appear to be playing a noteworthy role. For example, Orange and Samsung said recently that they will use the vendor's smartphones to capture HDR footage of the event's opening ceremony, video that will then be streamed over Orange's private 5G network.

Sadarangani, the LA28 executive, wrote recently on social media that the Orange/Samsung effort was "a wonderful application of 5G private networks."