Optus Business and Cisco are building a ‘smart network’ that will connect officials, athletes and spectators at the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games (GC2018). The network will span the 37 GC2018’s locations, including operational, command and sporting venues, creating what the company said is a seamless user experience for officials, athletes and spectators. Optus has developed a standalone, carrier-grade network using 426 kilometres of Optus fibre. Meanwhile, Cisco’s infrastructure underpins the integrated communications solution which Optus will deliver and manage for the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games Organising Committee (GOLDOC) following the competitive tender process. Throughout the Games Village, 6600 athletes will have access to free Optus-provided Wi-Fi. “Like all of us, athletes are embracing the digital world, communicating with coaches, family and friends on smartphones and tablets, with more reliance on apps and video streaming, which require a powerful, reliable connection,” Optus Business managing director, John Paitaridis, said in a statement. “No matter where they are from, the athletes will be able to connect their devices to the Optus network and interact seamlessly from their home away from home.” To manage the technology across all 37 operational, command and sporting venues, Optus has placed a dedicated team in the Optus Gold Coast Delivery Hub. Network management plays an integral part of the event’s delivery, from ticketing to officiating. Cisco technical experts have also been embedded in the team, working alongside Optus to ensure the smart network is Games-ready when GC2018 commences in a month’s time. Related content BrandPost Stay in Control of Your Data with a Secure and Compliant Sovereign Cloud By Stan Kwong Mar 23, 2023 6 mins Cloud Security Cloud Computing News Accenture to lay off 19,000 to cut costs amid economic uncertainty Technology services giant Accenture will continue to hire but meanwhile is cutting staff to streamline operations in the face of economic headwinds. By Anirban Ghoshal Mar 23, 2023 2 mins IT Consulting Services Technology Industry BrandPost Advice from procurement: How to evaluate and propose new IT investments By clearly defining needs and requirements, evaluating TCO, and performing risk assessments, procurement and IT teams can work together to help their business leaders make more informed decisions for an improved bottom line. By Bo Bradshaw, Edgio Procurement Director Mar 23, 2023 5 mins SaaS BrandPost Why AI is key to hiring and retaining developers Data shows that the opportunity to build AI-powered apps figures very prominently in where developers decide to work. By Bryan Kirschner, Vice President, Strategy at DataStax Mar 23, 2023 4 mins Artificial Intelligence IT Leadership Podcasts Videos Resources Events SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER From our editors straight to your inbox Get started by entering your email address below. Please enter a valid email address Subscribe