Cross-Connect Blog

Before the Games Begin, Take a Look at the Tech behind the Summer Olympics

June 07, 2012

2012 London Summer Olympics logoNext month, over 10,000 athletes from over 200 countries will compete at the 2012 Summer Olympic Games in London. And as the world gets ready to tune in and witness the miraculous performances, heartbreaking dramas and overnight sensations that capture our imagination every four years, we can't help but notice... a lot's changed since 2008!

We're talking of course about the way in which people not only watch (on smartphones, tablets), but what they do when they watch (share personal video, tweet!) to make these 2012 Games one of the biggest and most connected technological events the world has ever seen.

Consider the following:

  • This will be the first Olympics ever to operate on a fully converged network infrastructure carrying data, voice and video together
  • This will be the first Olympics ever to broadcast every single event live and in high-definition (across a series of television, satellite, cable and internet channels)
Taking on this monumental challenge is Cisco, the Official Network Infrastructure Supporter of the 2012 Games, and who, upon completion of the events, will repurpose its massive infrastructure into world-class business innovation hubs for the United Kingdom.

And while a world-class sprinter like Jamaica's Usain Bolt may shatter records on the track, something tells us that the breakneck speed of evolving technology in the next four years will radically transform what we see, hear and experience in 2016.

 

CPI UK Website Contest Continues for a Limited Time

But in the here and now, London is the place to be this July, and if their recent Queen's Diamond Jubilee celebrations were any indication, we're in for quite the spectacle.

Speaking of which, CPI in the UK has been hard at work, having launched a special website scavenger hunt to honor the Queen's Diamond Jubilee after earlier this year introducing a fully "localised" and translated UK website.

Official Diamond Jubilee crown emblemThe scavenger hunt (which is still going on for the next few days!) includes five crown emblems (see image at right) hidden throughout the CPI UK website. All UK residents who locate one or more emblems and confirm their finds at this webpage will be eligible to win prizes. Jeff Cihocki, Global eContent Specialist

 

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