WiFi or mobile data provision for an event such as a GP is a planning nightmare. Being charitable, let's say there are 100000 people on race day and in many countries - especially SE Asia - more than half will have some form of smartphone.
Working with a nice round figure of 50000 devices, permanently connected, you'd need a *lot* of WiFi access points. Mobile towers too. Assuming WiFi only, that the radio and supporting infrastructure is complete and can handle 50000 devices (!) the onward bandwidth is the limiting factor. At a video bit rate of 128kbps (HD is a lot higher) you'd need connectivity of 6.4Gbps just for video. Then there's social media, email, and everything else, so you rapidly need in excess of 10Gbps, which is enterprise territory. The termination kit for 10Gig WAN connections is of the order of 50 to 100 grand right now, and the line rental costs are very high. Add in the infrastructure cost and you'd quickly be looking towards several million pounds.
For one weekend a year that really isn't financially viable.
I'd love to know how the outgoing system worked, mind you. Being a specific technology with a smallish subscriber base obviously made it possible. If the video & data feed is plugged in locally then the external connectivity is irrelevant, thus simplifying things and bringing costs down.
Still, I couldn't use it anyway. At the British GP I have to keep the race order on my own, the same as I do at any race meeting I might be volunteering for. It gets easier the more you do it
