Planning telecommunications for the Athens 2004 Olympic Games

The Olympic Games pose a special challenge for telecommunications since they should aim at two mutually contradicting targets. On one hand they should use mature, reliable, and well-known technology, while on the other hand they should exploit the latest achievements of technology. Furthermore, detailed planning should begin at least four years before the Games, given that the International Olympic Committee demands that technology should be fixed two years before the Games. In most cases in the past, it has been possible to predict an optimum point of equilibrium and to plan the use of a technology that would be new enough to be innovative, yet mature enough to be reliable. The 2004 Olympic Games is a different case because telecommunications technology is not only evolving at a fast pace but is also at a crossroads (i.e., circuit-based vs. IP-based networks). This last issue makes the challenge more difficult than ever to meet. The Hellenic Telecommunication Organization was named the exclusive provider of all telecommunications services of the Games. We present an analysis of this special challenge and our plans for handling it.