Both the strict security requirements as well as the technical demands were extremely high for the five main events associated with the visit. It was crucial to build a reliable communications infrastructure in each location that was also secure from eavesdropping. In addition, the locations needed to be ready to distribute audio and video signals to both broadcast networks and to the on-site video walls.
The two largest events were held in Freiburg, including a vigil and the farewell celebration at the local airport. Two interconnected TETRA cells with four base radios were used to guarantee reliable radio network coverage across the entire Freiburg region. The cells were connected via a Riedel Headliner RF link. Headliner RF links allow 25 mile long bi-directional connections with a bandwidth of up to 300 MBits/s.
The security personnel and organisers in Freiburg used 1,000 professional digital handheld radios with over 50 TETRA groups. More than 300 professional analogue radios supplemented the TETRA installation. Riedel Connect Duo and Connect IP interfaces integrated the radio network into the Artist digital matrix intercom system thus forming a single communications infrastructure.
The organizers of the events in Freiburg used a combination of Riedel MediorNet and RockNet to distribute audio and video signals. More than 40 MediorNet frames were deployed at the events. Furthermore, the MediorNet installation was used as a remote control system for the d&b PA system.
"The Riedel RockNet and MediorNet networks were outstanding and helped us achieve maximum performance," noted a representative from Crystal Sound, the PA supplier for the visit in Freiburg.
At the three other major locations included in the papal visit - the Deutscher Bundestag (German Parliament), Berlin Olympia Stadium and the cathedral in Erfurt - comprehensive TERTA radio installations and flexible MediorNet installations were used. The broadcast studio Berlin Adlershof used three MediorNet mainframes for live HD broadcast of the Pope's Bundestag visit.
A TETRA base station provided a digital radio network at the Olympia Stadium in Berlin. A total of 150 TETRA radios were integrated into the stadium's Artist infrastructure and were used to allow direct communication between the radios and the Artist system.
(Jim Evans)
