BT talks up Olympics broadband network
BT has insisted its broadband network capacity will ensure spectators at London 2012 enjoy a radically different experience from those at the Beijing Olympics.
Howard Dickel, director of the telecoms giant's London 2012 delivery programme, explained fans will be able to view the sporting action, then replay it via connected devices, and send pictures and videos to friends and family around the world.
"Nowadays people want to share their experience with the people who can't be there. Suddenly everyone in the stadium is kind of a journalist," he told Total Telecom.
BT has been given sole responsibility for the Olympics data network, which will deliver seven times the capacity of the broadband infrastructure for the Beijing Games.
At peak times, the network will carry 60Gbps of information, while the 2012 Games will also be the first to offer public Wi-Fi access.
As well as the public broadband services, BT has rolled out free fibre optic-based connectivity to the Olympic Village, which will be home to around 19,000 athletes and officials throughout the Games.
Some 2,800 apartments across 65 blocks will have access to fibre-to-the-premises technology.
