HJK Helsinki (Helsinki Football Club) trusts Hytera's radio solutions at Bolt Arena

Match day operations begin around five hours before kick-off, as teams across the stadium prepare the venue for players, officials and spectators. Activity gradually builds throughout the day before reaching its peak at the beginning of the match, when spectator numbers surge and every task becomes increasingly time sensitive.

Teemu Hakkala, HJK Match Event Manager, describes one of the most important moments of a match:

“The arrival of the players and referees onto the pitch is one of the most anticipated moments of the match for both the players and the supporters. To the spectator, it may look as if everything happens automatically, but behind the scenes there are a great many small pieces that have to fall into place. It is not a matter of minutes but of seconds, so that we can get the teams onto the pitch at the right time and make the whole experience work from the spectator’s point of view.”

In this environment, reliable communications are essential.

“Radios are a really big part of delivering the event, because we need to pass on a lot of information quickly to different parts of the stadium. One person cannot be in many places at the same time, and this is where radios help a great deal,” Hakkala says.

To support these operations, the arena required a communication solution capable of delivering clear audio in a noisy environment, reliable coverage across the entire venue, low-latency voice calls and secure transmissions for safety-critical information.

The challenge was made even greater by the arena's location. Bolt Arena sits alongside two other major event venues, the Helsinki Olympic Stadium and Helsinki Ice Hall, creating an exceptionally demanding radio environment. Multiple large-scale events often take place simultaneously across the area, resulting in significant radio traffic.

Teemu Hakkala, Match Event Manager, HJK:

“We are located next to two other major event venues, Helsinki Ice Hall and the Olympic Stadium, and in previous seasons, we occasionally experienced minor challenges with radio communications during overlapping events. We needed radios that are reliable and perform well in demanding conditions. With Hytera, these issues have been resolved.”

Finally, the stadium needed a solution that could support long operating hours. From the first preparations before kick-off until spectators had left the venue, staff relied heavily on their radios throughout the day. Long battery life was therefore essential to ensure uninterrupted communications without the need for recharging during critical periods of an event.

To address the arena's operational requirements and challenging radio environment, Signal Partners delivered a ready-to-use communications solution for HJK Helsinki and the Bolt Arena.

After assessing the venue's needs, Signal Partners selected Hytera HP505 radios for the customer, together with charging stations and earpieces. For event operations, the HP505 offers several features that directly address the challenges faced by the arena team, including powerful audio performance, AI-based noise cancellation, long battery life and a robust IP67-rated design. Together, these capabilities support reliable communication even in noisy and demanding operating environments.

Sophia Yin, General Manager Hytera Europe:

“At Hytera, we are exceptionally innovative in tackling the challenges of venues hosting large-scale events with their high crowd noise, multi-functional mixed teams and the requirement for fast emergency response, all while maintaining a positive guest experience. Hytera HP5 delivers crystal-clear audio with AI-based noise cancellation technology, rugged IP67 durability and discreet Bluetooth enabled operation. This enables communications in challenging environments, enhances staff safety, and ensures streamlined team operations, improving audiences’ experience.”

Accessories are equally important in day-to-day operations. For Hakkala, one of the most noticeable improvements of the new solution has been the earpiece. The headset used with the previous radio system was uncomfortable and restricted his ability to communicate while carrying out other tasks.

“The earpiece has made my work much easier. I can communicate while taking care of other tasks, whereas before I basically had to choose between speaking on the radio and doing another work task,” Hakkala says.

To ensure the radios could be deployed without delay, Signal Partners also managed the complete implementation process, including Traficom radio licences, device programming and configuration. As a result, the solution was ready for immediate use upon delivery, allowing stadium staff to focus on event operations rather than system setup.