Asian Games communications present sizable challenge

The communications requirements for an event the size of the 15th Annual Asian Games held in Doha, Qatar, Dec. 1-15, are literally massive.

For the event, Riedel Communications furnished more than 24 tons of communications systems shipped on 77 pallets. The multisport event ranks only second to the summer Olympics in terms of scope, and it was the largest sporting event ever held in the Middle East.

A team of 65 Riedel engineers were on-site to install and operate the equipment. Riedel dispatched more than 6000 digital TETRA radios from Motorola to Doha that were used by DAGOC, the organization committee for the Asian Games in Qatar, for radio communications at all venues. In close cooperation with its local partner Bond Communications, Riedel also supplied intercoms for all venues.

Riedel configured an integrated infrastructure consisting of digital intercom matrix systems, digital party-line systems and professional mobile radios for communications at the individual sports sites. Riedel’s Artist digital intercom matrix functioned as the heart of the installation with 45 Artist 64 mainframes serving as the venue’s intercoms. The intercom matrices managed the signals from the various control panels and radio channels to deliver reliable communications at the push of a button.

The venue intercom system enabled the communications of the organization committee and that of referees, scoreboard operators and other sports-related personnel. About 100 RiFace radio interfaces connected the wireless and wired communication technologies.

Doha Asian Games Broadcast Services (DAGBS), the host broadcast service for the games, also used Riedel’s digital intercom matrix Artist for its own communications. DAGBS is a joint venture of TWI, the world’s biggest independent TV production company, and Host Broadcast Services (HBS), a Riedel client that used the company’s systems during the World Cup in Germany. In addition to the Artist systems owned by HBS, international broadcast solutions company Gearhouse Broadcast provided two additional Artist systems for the DAGBS.

For more information, visit www.riedel.net.