An Asterisk-based voice over Internet Protocol (VOIP) telephony system will be used for emergency response calls at the Cape Argus Cycle Tour on 12 March.
The Argus will be the first major sporting event serviced by the open source VOIP system that was recently deployed at the Provincial Emergency Management Centre, based at the Tygerberg Hospital in Cape Town.
Connection-Telecom and Umoya Networks implemented the system.
"Umoya will provision an IP link between the Tygerberg Hospital and the Green Point stadium (the start and finish of the race), where we will connect a private branch exchange and some VOIP phones to the telephone system at Tygerberg," says Steve Davies, CEO of Connection-Telecom.
Reliability essential
He adds that careful engineering was required to ensure the VOIP technology meets the reliability requirements of emergency response.
Bandwidth can be shared according to demand, he notes, and a single link provides both voice and data services, like any VOIP solution.
"In the case of the cycle tour, once the IP link to Green Point is provisioned, all we need to do is plug phones into the network there - the phones will connect to the server across the link."
He also notes that using the open source Asterisk system will mean the Tygerberg Centre is free to grow and adapt the system without facing additional licensing fees.
A province-wide Sentech VSAT network is being commissioned, adds Davies. "This network will connect the various centres together for data, and using Asterisk`s VOIP capabilities we will also use it as a backup route for voice."
Share