The 2010 Local Organising Committee (LOC) is seeking possible legislative changes to allow 2010 Soccer World Cup communications to run smoothly.
According to LOC IT director Zakes Mnisi, the body is investigating using terrestrial trunked radio (Tetra) technology to link up thousands of LOC and FIFA employees, as well as metro services and stadium personnel, for the sporting event.
"At this stage, Tetra is used by the police - we don't think it has been cleared for use beyond that. So we will have to talk to ICASA [the Independent Communications Authority of SA] and check: are we crossing boundaries?" says Mnisi.
The Tetra narrow-band network runs on the 4.9GHz band that has been set aside for government use and is less prone to interference. In line with the Tetra standard, the channel spacing of carriers is 25KHz and, in this bandwidth, the maximum attainable data transmission speed is 28.8Kbps, unprotected.
According to Mnisi, the LOC will call on ICASA to make legislative changes if need be in order for 2010 staff to use Tetra.
"People will be putting lots of things in the air - it is bound to interfere with frequency," says Mnisi. "The organisational side of 2010 will need Tetra for secure communications."
Last year, T-Systems mooted a Tetra network for the 2010 Soccer World Cup, after initially wanting to set one up itself. The SA Police Service, in Gauteng, is installing a R506 million Tetra system, in conjunction with Altron, for its 10111 call centre.
Share