Ajax, Amsterdam Arena sign partnership with Huawei

The Hague, May 23 (IANS) Dutch football giants Ajax and the Amsterdam Arena stadium signed a partnership agreement with the Chinese telecom giant Huawei.

The cooperation agreement that was signed Thursday will be effective from July 1, 2014, and have two different maturities. Ajax signed for three years, until June 30, 2017, while the duration of the deal with the Amsterdam Arena is five years, until June 30, 2019.

An important part of the agreements is a unique Wi-Fi network embedded in the stadium construction by Huawei. All visitors of Ajax matches in the Arena will get the opportunity to use this network by the end of 2014 for free. Huawei also committed itself as business partner of Ajax and the Arena.

"Huawei is delighted to work with Ajax, one of the most successful football teams ever, and with the Amsterdam Arena, the most advanced stadium in the Netherlands, in order to demonstrate our long-term involvement in the Netherlands," said Wang Dexian, CEO of Huawei Technologies in the Netherlands, in a press release.

"We are delighted to have signed this agreement," Edwin van der Sar, director of marketing of Ajax, said. "Huawei is the largest Chinese company in the Netherlands and therefore fits perfectly with our ambitions."