Telecom operators are all on their toes to manage the increased Internet traffic to view the Olympic Games. A large number of people are expected to view the Games via their mobile phones and/or tablets.
With 3G- and 4G-enabled phones in the market, “we do expect an increase in usage in the metros and also of events wherein Indian athletes are participating,” said a Vodafone India spokesperson. “Our systems ensure scalability and manage traffic dynamically. Additionally, for customers seeking live video-feed, the time difference will give the advantage of off-peak traffic.”
According to telecom operators, if they could withstand the IPL traffic, Olympics should not be a problem. A number of cool applications will allow users download, view and share real-time updates. While iPad users can download the ‘Direct TV’ app from the iTunes store to watch the Olympics live, android and iOs users can use the ‘PlayUp Olympics 2012’ free application among others.
“This is an exclusive Olympics app that gives an overview of all the action taking place at the Games. Users will also get access to premium video snippets from the Olympics. Although there is no live streaming, the premium videos will give users a flavour of the Olympics. We have two million users globally and half a million users in India,” said Mr Rohan Kumar, Global Marketing Head, PlayUp, an app developer.
“We have a robust infrastructure in place as our app can give users access to nine sports and 27,000 matches a year,” he added. PlayUp has tied up with Samsung to give real-time updates. Other android and iOs applications give details on the medallists and schedule.
‘Emoto’ project
Geeks have put together technology to measure the pulse around the Olympic Games.
There is an online ‘emoto’ project that captures and visualises the excitement. It analyses social media messages for content and emotional expressions, and visualises topics and tone of the conversation.