NEW YORK-Measures of Olympic proportions undertaken by the heavyweights of industry have gone into developing the communications systems for the Summer Games, which begin July 19 in Atlanta. But amid the titans, Centennial Communications Inc., a small virtual company with access to coveted virgin spectrum, is exploiting part of the two-way radio arena otherwise dominated by Motorola Inc.
Motorola’s story
Although it formally announced its corporate sponsorship of the 1996 Summer Olympics more than a year ago, Motorola actually has been preparing for the event for four years, according to Michael Doheny, the company’s director of public relations for the games. With more than 10,000 participating athletes, more than 2.5 million spectators expected and 70 percent of the activities occurring within a three-mile radius, the upcoming games pose a daunting challenge to communications providers, he said.
Working with the Federal Communications Commission, the Atlanta Committee for the Olympic Games arranged for the state of Georgia to loan 92 public safety frequencies in the 800 MHz band. This spectrum will be used to coordinate spectator transportation, security and to help monitor the games. Two Motorola Advanced Systems Communications Trailers, or Mascots, will each provide five-channel networks of mobile trunked radio capacity that can be moved to locations as needed. Doheny said some 7,000 radio users are expected to use the 92 available 800 MHz frequencies.
Motorola is negotiating with the state of Georgia to provide a statewide communications system using those frequencies after the Summer Olympics are over, he said.
Additionally, Motorola owns a 900 MHz system “with thousands of units in rental for media, catering, cleanup, sponsors coordinating their guests’ visits, as well as visiting dignitaries,” Doheny said.
Last but not least, Motorola also is supplying 1,400 integrated dispatch enhanced network units for a system provided by Nextel Communications Inc. and Southern Co. IDEN’s digital system combines four capabilities: two-way voice communications, text messaging, data transmission and full duplex telephone interconnection. IDEN will be used for wide-area coverage, V.I.P. transportation coordination and other priority communications.
Nextel, which is building out its next-generation IDEN network, will showcase this new service in a demonstration project during the games, offering it free to several key clients, including Xerox Corp., Reuters America Inc. and The Coca Cola Co.
Centennial’s story
Although based in Atlanta, its parent company, National Strategies Inc., is a Washington, D.C., think tank dealing with public policy issues involving telecommunications. David Aylword, president of both, formerly served as chief counsel and staff director for the House of Representatives Telecommunications Subcommittee.
A colleague who had worked on President Bill Clinton’s 1992 inaugural gala “knew people in Atlanta who have a 900 MHz system without a marketing and service operation,” Aylword said.
In 1995, Centennial signed an eight-year lease with DB Networks for exclusive use of its 900 MHz spectrum, as well as a lease for calendar year 1996 for exclusive use of 220 MHz spectrum owned by Marietta Communications.
“There is a serious respect for virgin spectrum here,” said Charles Halloran, Centennial’s marketing director. “It’s going to take four to eight hours just to get from the airport to your hotel, so you have to be able to stay in touch.”
To ensure instantaneous communications on its network, Centennial only will permit up to 1,100 users on its spectrum. Its tower sites are up high atop the Peachtree Center in downtown Atlanta, giving its transmissions an atypically broad 20-mile radius.
“We are three times as expensive as Motorola. We charge $36 a day,” Halloran said. “But we guarantee in writing that we won’t overload our system and that communications will be instant. If it doesn’t matter to you how long it takes to get through, you won’t use us.”
What Centennial’s communications won’t be, however, is fancy. The company is offering simple, two-way, analog radio using Kenwood- and SEA-brand mobile and portable units.
The customers Centennial has signed on include: BMW, Texaco Inc., Sara Lee Corp., Clean Event, an Australian company running all the cleaning operations, Proof of the Pudding, an Atlanta caterer, Canadian Broadcasting Corp., British Broadcasting Corp. and Australian Broadcasting Corp.
“We started out in July 1995 and had months of people not caring, but in the last month it’s been nuts,” Aylword said.
As to what this temporary, or virtual, carrier will do with the remainder of its lease on the 900 MHz spectrum after the Olympics, Halloran said: “We plan a long-term business for local users, some rental, some purchase. We’ll have a lot of demo equipment with only 18 days’ use on it.”
