15 June 2006

Technology and the Internet have a crucial role to play in the England football team's World Cup campaign.

At the Football Association's (FA) base in Baden-Baden, Germany, players and staff are taking advantage of low-cost Internet Protocol technology for cheap phone calls.

Internet access is also vital to the set-up, as specialist sports software for the coaching staff and manager Sven-Goran Eriksson relies on online updates.

From a technical standpoint, the equipment uses Symmetric Digital Subscriber Line circuits around the hotel for Internet access, along with Virtual Private Network access to the FA's network, according to Silicon.com.

Ian Dimmock, the FA IT support manager, highlights possible technical problems with the equipment and software.

"We have to be very careful about viruses, especially on the players' laptops. We try and give them some pointers on how to manage their data and back it up," he said.

England fans will be hoping the expensive and power-hungry systems offer the players the back-up they need to lift the trophy at this summer's tournament.

© Adfero Ltd

Keep up to date with industry and Nomensa news by signing up to Nomensa newsletters.