Rio Olympics: Linktel boosts Wi-Fi to meet data explosion

RIO DE JANEIRO–With the influx of people into Brazil for the 2016 Rio Olympics, mobile data use is expected to be 50% greater than in London for the 2012 games. In preparation for this, Linktel, operator of Brazil’s largest independent network of Wi-Fi hot spots, has relied on iBwave Design’s advanced Wi-Fi capabilities to deploy fast and secure Wi-Fi networks in several high traffic venues across Rio de Janeiro.
RCR Wireless News interviewed Jonas Trunk, CEO of Linktel, and Benoit Fleury, vice president of iBwave, to discuss how the increase of Wi-Fi hot spots will help to support the mobile data traffic during the Games. Linktel has around 7,000 hotspots nationwide, of which around 1,600 are located in Rio de Janeiro. “Over the last two years, we invested a lot to triple the number of hot spots in Rio due to the Games,” the Linktel CEO said.
The company has secured sponsors, such as MasterCard, for its Wi-Fi hot spots with the goal to provide free internet access during the Games. The company has also partnered with AT&T, British Telecom and TIM to offload carrier data traffic, Trunk said, adding that it has to deliver high-quality internet speeds and improve capacity.
Some key Wi-Fi projects completed with iBwave include the rescue stations in some of Rio’s famous beaches, including Copacabana, the venue for Olympics competitions such as beach volleyball, open-water swimming, triathlon and para-triathlon; 23 stations on Rio Metro Lines 1 and 2; Santos Dumont National and Galeão International-Rio’s airports; and several high-end shopping malls.
The project does not include Rio 2016 venues because it’s covered by a Claro-Embratel sponsorship program.
Check out the video interview:

Click here for more stories about the 2016 Rio Olympics.
Editor’s note: This story is part of a series focused on the technology deployments that support the Rio Olympics.