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It's said that games test more than talent, they go on to reveal the character. The second largest sports festival in the world will put to test not only India's sportsmen, but also the ability of the country to play as a host.

After China displayed its might in hosting 2008 Olympics and FIFA fever went well in South Africa, an additional ounce of responsibility lies on the country's shoulder to match its counterparts.

With the Commonwealth Games starting from October 3, 2010, the government is making arrangements to deploy the best of ICT to provide a secure and safe experience to the athletes and visitors from diverse countries.

Telecom industry will be playing an integral part in providing its support in making this mega event successful. The games will be the largest multi-sport event conducted till date in Delhi and India generally, which has previously hosted the Asian Games in 1951 and 1982. While everyone is waiting to see the scintillating performance of the country as a host, the government has also taken the call and has gone for the best public-private partnership(PPP) to ensure that no stone is left unturned and it lives up to the tradition of 'Athithi devo bhava'.

With instances like IPL being shifted out of the country last year due to security reasons and some countries refusing to play due to 'security concerns', Government of Delhi cannot afford to give another chance to point fingers. Delhi government is geared up to provide emergency services in all conditions-be it security threat, disaster, medical situation, etc. Government has been conscious of the every minute detail. It even cancelled its plans of Wi-Fi for security reasons during CWG.

Connectivity
MTNL has been designated as the official telecom provider for the upcoming sports fest. A reality check with the operator seemed necessary. So, VOICE&DATA spoke to Manjit Singh, executive director, MTNL, who confirmed that till now all the developments have been going in line to meet the targets.

The major target for MTNL is to set up an efficient system of communications that will allow transmission of games data, security data, high definition broadcast signal (HDTV) between sports venue, international broadcasting centers, press center, etc.

For the deployment, MTNL has been allocated a massive budget of Rs 182 crore. Singh says, “We are in the testing phase of our deployments. As a team we have deployed our best resources, our efforts will be best seen once the mega event starts.”

MTNL will be providing two separate networks. One will be for managing data and other for broadcast. Providing coverage to games applications, video surveillance for security agencies will be top in its agenda.

This network will be managed data network(MDN). Broadcast network will be providing video applications to facilitate uncompressed high definition video transmission from stadium to IBC and cable access TV broadcast network.

Promising Partnership
With MTNL trying to put its best foot forward, Delhi government also gave a Rs 100 crore contract to set up India's first exclusive government radio network(GRN) based on TETRA (Terrestrial Trunked Radio) to provide safe and secure communications.

Motorola and HCL bagged this prestigious deal in December 2009. They have been entrusted with one of the major responsibilities to facilitate swift and secure communications among government agencies like the Delhi Police, fire services, hospitals, Public Works Department and the Delhi Transport Corporation. While system integration will be provided by HCL, communication network will be deployed by Motorola.

The GRN is an advanced digital inter-operable communication platform that will operate on a secured spectrum and will have forty-six base stations. Communication on the GRN is encrypted to ensure security; and unlike other public communications infrastructure, this network is specially designed and built robustly to ensure fail-safe performance even during emergencies. The GRN will help multiple agencies collaborate over a single platform to ensure well coordinated optimum response.

Motorola has a rich history in radio systems with instances where even Neil Armstrong in 1969 used used 'Motorola radio transponder aboard Apollo 11 lunar module'.

Subodh Vardhan, director, sales and country head, enterprise mobility solutions, Motorola India explains, “Public safety is what has made this mission critical.” On one side, interpolability between government agencies should work; but integrating as many as eighteen such agencies into a common network is a challenge.

On asked about the reliability of TETRA, Vardhan with full assertiveness says, “The system is not prone to congestion or collapse.” Hundreds of people can be connected at one go in case of emergency. Adequate system capacity for supporting the daily operations is also there for immediate scalability to address the sudden surge of calls during emergency situations.

The deal seems to be in safe hands as it is working with a single minded principle that 'all is backed up'. Every piece of equipment is at direct mode operation (DMO), so there will be at no point complete loss of communication. Vardhan also says, “Every radio is encrypted so there will be no instance of eaves dropping.” In case someone loses their handset, it can be virtually diffused to avoid any breach of security. Users can form their individual groups and can have communication. In case of emergency, all groups can be connected by the push of a button.

Commenting on the project, Ajai Chowdhry, chairman & CEO, HCL says, “HCL has always been committed towards nation building and in today's scenario, security has to be the top priority. The deployment of a TETRA based communication system will enable authorities to timely prevent or minimize the chances of a potential adverse impact in an emergency situation. I am confident that in times to come, systems such as the government radio network will strengthen communication infrastructure across the country.”

Around 10,000 Motorola handsets will be in use during the CWG. Out of which 5,010 will be in use during the games, rest will be there with the Delhi Government after the games for the coming seven years.

As the world's largest TETRA supplier, Motorola has been supporting the critical communication needs for metros and airports around the world. Whereas, HCL Infosystems has been a pioneer in innovation and using technology to deliver citizen benefit programs.

In the past HCL has deployed many citizen oriented projects such as emergency response center for police (Dial 100), ambulance (Dial 102) in cities like Delhi, Hyderabad, Chennai, Bengaluru, Bhopal, Nagpur, Pune, Bhopal, Dehradun, etc, in partnership with various state governments. Motorola also has the experience of over 600 digital mission-critical network rollouts across the world, which include Beijing Special Olympics, Delhi Metro Rail Corporation, Bengaluru, Delhi and Hyderabad airports.

Behemoth Task
The task is not just to provide infrastructure and technological backup, but also to train people in using it. In April, the training has already started to train the manpower in using the TETRA based systems.

Vardhan says, “We are committed to meet the delivery deadline in all spheres-be it implementation of communication network or training.” Motorola has 400 MHz of frequency and has licence from DoT. The networks are already rolled out.

Mission Possible
In a country where sports and nationalism are often linked, CWG is being seen as an opportunity that will be leaving lasting memories for the country. Many miles are still to be covered to reach the milestones.

Various companies are preparing for the huge audience that is going to be present for almost two weeks in the country.

With effective communication only, India will achieve this important mission. With all ICT companies prepared to deliver the very best, it can be expected that the forthcoming games will be an affair to remember.

Archana Singh
archansi@cybermedia.co.in

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