The Olympic Games is an event that puts exceptional demands on telecommunications. There were three key factors in the structuring of the telecommunications: the users, the sites and the purposes for which they were to be used there. The number of users determined the dimensioning of the telecommunications systems and networks. The number and location of the sites determined the geographical scope of the network of fixed services and the coverage of the mobile services. The type of use determined the type of information and communication and the support required, whether voice, data, images or control signals.
It was necessary to provide networks for private use within the territorial units and to integrate them into public networks inorder to link them with the rest of the world. Hence, the media at Barcelona’92 could transmit the results of the competitions around the world from their commentary positions, from the press areas and from the television cameras and studios. A variety of transmission methods was used, including fibre optic,coaxial and parallel cables, radio links,satellites and infra-red.
The initial studies helped to define the projects that constituted the architecture. The Barcelona Computing and Telecommunications Study (BIT’92) laid down a general framework for its development. Later, the COOB’92 Master Plan identified, with the corresponding budget allocation, each of the projects that was later to be implemented in the organisational phase. These projects were divided into three project areas:
- Public telecommunications
This area consisted of the following projects: final service terminals, services with direct access to the public network, tariffs and usage, and transmission services. The common denominator of all these services was their support by the Telefónica public network.
- Private telecommunications
The Olympic telephone network was a key project that provided exclusive voice and data communication for the Olympic organisation throughout the geographical area in which the Games took place.
- Radio communications
This are consisted of three projects: mobile radio communications, the paging system and wavelength management.
(Text taken from the Official Report of the Barcelona ’92 Games)
