Cannes Palais des Festivals: Connectivity on Par with the World’s Largest Events

This large-scale project provided Wifirst with the opportunity to demonstrate its ability to adapt to the very high-density constraints and requirements of a world-class event venue by deploying a next-generation network infrastructure.

// THE CHALLENGE: CONNECTING AN EXTRAORDINARY EVENT VENUE

When connectivity becomes an integral part of the event

At the Palais des Festivals, the network is more than just technical infrastructure. It is an integral part of the success of every event.

Organizers, exhibitors, Palais staff, and conference attendees all have different needs: Wi-Fi for several thousand participants, private networks for exhibitors, wired connections with guaranteed bandwidth, point-to-point links, and even specialized infrastructure deployed for just a few days. The catalog of services provided under the concession agreement is specifically designed to meet this wide range of needs.

The challenge also lies in the Palais’s layout: 88,000 m² spread from the second basement level to the sixth floor, high-density auditoriums, terraces, and outdoor spaces, as well as temporary and modular event facilities.

The network must therefore be able to adapt its configuration from one event to the next, while remaining available for the site’s day-to-day operations.

Thousands of connections concentrated within a few square meters

High density is one of the main technical challenges.

The Grand Auditorium Louis Lumière can accommodate 2,309 people, the Théâtre Debussy 1,068 people, and the Terrasse Riviera up to 4,500 people. That’s a large number of users who may connect simultaneously—sometimes using multiple devices—in particularly complex radio environments.

To design coverage tailored to each space, Wifirst relied on in-depth radio audits and engineering specific to the various areas of the Palais.

// THE SOLUTION: AN INFRASTRUCTURE DESIGNED FOR VERY HIGH DENSITY

WiFi 7 Throughout the Palais

Wifirst is upgrading the infrastructure with a next-generation Wi-Fi architecture, designed to provide high-density Wi-Fi 7 coverage throughout the Palais.

Rather than applying a one-size-fits-all architecture, the radio engineering is tailored to the specific conditions of each space: auditoriums, exhibition halls, high-traffic areas, terraces, and outdoor spaces.

The infrastructure relies in particular on a range of access points suited to different density levels and both indoor and outdoor environments.

The goal: to provide a consistent connectivity experience even when several thousand people are gathered simultaneously in the same area.

A network backbone capable of handling the most demanding events

In addition to the Wi-Fi, the entire wired and Internet infrastructure has also been scaled to meet the Palais’s specific requirements.

The site has two Internet links, each capable of reaching 100 Gbit/s, with separate routes, two entry points into the building, and a direct interconnection to the Wifirst network core.

This redundancy ensures reliable connectivity at a site where a network outage during an international event could have immediate consequences for organizers and exhibitors.

An end-to-end secure infrastructure

Security is built directly into the architecture with clustered Fortinet firewalls and centralized log management via FortiAnalyzer.

This architecture improves visibility into network traffic, detects threats, and correlates security events, while also automating certain incident response operations.

// OPERATIONS: THE NETWORK ADAPTS TO THE PACE OF EVENTS

A reinforced system when the Palace is bustling

What makes this project unique is not only the technology deployed but also how it is operated.

The level of support varies depending on the Palais’s activity. Outside of events, the infrastructure receives 24/7 coverage, with a one-hour response time and a four-hour recovery goal.

During events (including setup and takedown), the support system is elevated to a higher level: issues are acknowledged within 10 minutes, and the service restoration target is 30 minutes.

This setup is designed for a simple reality: at the Palais des Festivals, the network must be available whenever the event needs it.

A Wifirst team based directly in Cannes

To ensure this operational proximity, Wifirst relies on Wifirst Agora, its subsidiary based in Cannes, as well as the Palais’s long-standing team, which is integrated into the project.

Engineers, network administrators, technicians, and sales teams thus have in-depth knowledge of the building and its constraints. They now benefit from the support of Wifirst’s engineering teams, its network core, and its Europe-wide operational capabilities.

This combination of local expertise and the strength of a European operator enables us to intervene directly on-site and support organizers in a way that closely aligns with their needs.

// CONNECTIVITY AS AN EVENT SERVICE

A Different Network for Every Event

A trade show, a Cannes Film Festival screening, or an international conference do not share the same usage patterns or network requirements.

One of the challenges of the concession is therefore to be able to build à la carte services: Wi-Fi access for participants, private Wi-Fi networks at a booth or across multiple zones, wired connections with guaranteed bandwidth, point-to-point links, or even dedicated Internet access.

A captive portal customized with the Palais des Festivals’ branding rounds out the setup. Depending on the event, access can be provided via codes, sold directly, or sponsored for SEMEC guests.

The network thus becomes a flexible infrastructure, capable of reconfiguring itself in step with the Palais’s programming schedule.