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Olympics News Desk
Olympics Telecommunications regulator, Ofcom, is completing preparations for the Olympics Games in the summer. The telecommunications infrastructure of the UK will be pushed to its maximum during the six-week event, which will reach the peak periods for spectrum demand during the opening and closing ceremony. Meanwhile, experts warn about possible reception problems as thousands of spectators send and take pictures and videos from their phones.
The Ministry of Defence, Civil Aviation Authority and Home Office have relinquished communications resources to guarantee telecommunication capacity during London 2012 Olympic Games, reports the Financial Times informs.
Telecommunications regulator, Ofcom, has been carrying out preparations for five years in order to assure that communications network will have enough capacity to broadcast the event.
Ofcom is concerned that all the international media will have the spectrum needed for their wireless cameras and microphones.
Commercial operations will also have to run normally but experts fear that the thousands of people trying to take and send pictures and videos of the event from their mobile phones simultaneously will collapse the networks.
Olympics are considered as an event with the largest number or assignments of wireless frequencies, which supposes an important challenge to Ofcom. Jill Ainscough, chief operating officer at Ofcom, said: “The UK’s airwaves are already among the most intensively used in the world. The games will significantly increase demand”.
Ofcom will have to make an effort to assure that the event, which will be in the spotlight, satisfies telecommunications’ needs. The culture secretary, Jeremy Hunt, told a conference in London that the event would be a big test for both Ofcom and the British telecommunications industry.
To achieve this, Ofcom has been checking all the steps which will have to be taken during the Olympics, carrying out technical assessments to avoid the spectrum to cause operational risks.
In addition, the regulator has created a sensor network to identify interferences. The team of expert radio engineers will be double to 90 during the Olympics to assure that every action is properly carried out.
Reporting by Paula Planelles photo credit: ODA Press office Getty
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