The 16th National Paralympic Games were hosted in Indonesia last year from November 2-13 at the Mandala Stadium in Jayapura, Papua, Indonesia. Clear-Com's Indonesian-based Partner, 86 Inc., was contacted by the Organizing Committee of the Opening and Closing Ceremonies (OCC) to assist with the show management and live broadcast communications for the complex events. 86 Inc. recommended a solution based around Clear-Com(r)'s HelixNet Digital Network Partyline and FreeSpeak II Digital Wireless Intercom.
"The OCC, the Paralympics COVID Task Force, and the Ministry of Communication and Information Technology (MCIT) of Indonesia all had different concerns needing to be addressed by the comms system," explained 86 Inc. CEO Dino Gonggalang.
The OCC's concerns were related to logistics given the overall scale of the event-in one of the key moments of the show, 950 dancers were performing at one time, while the MCIT was tasked with securing sufficient spectrum frequencies in a limited RF zone, and the COVID Task Force was charged with enforcing increasingly strict national safety protocols
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"Basically, they told us their concerns and left everything to us to run it as seamlessly, reliably, and as safely as possible," added Gonggalang, "which is why we went with Clear-Com for the event."
The HelixNet and FreeSpeak II system configuration facilitated the required communication channels for the world-class performances and the broadcast, but it was no easy task.
"We deployed 46 drops of Clear-Com, where the main channel was designated for show director Asthie Wendra, who connected directly with all aspects of show management," said Putut, Project Manager, 86 Inc.
HelixNet, FreeSpeak II Rise to the Occasion
HelixNet's intuitive interface and ease of deployment was ideal for the fast pace the Opening and Closing Ceremonies required. Familiar yet innovative partyline channels provide an easy transition for all skill levels of Intercom users, allowing team members to be focused entirely on the task at hand
FreeSpeak II was ideal for the scale and complexity of the events, allowing team members to be untethered and talking in any configuration of channels with exceptional performance in both the 1.9 GHz and 2.4 GHz bands.
This combination of features from HelixNet and FreeSpeak II addressed the OCC's logistical concerns with the sheer size of the venue and number of individuals needing to be on comms and allayed any concerns about the limited frequency spectrums.
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Having the systems properly pre-configured with the appropriate channel settings allowed all parties to communicate effectively solely using the system, without requiring potentially dangerous, close-proximity side conversations and last-minute huddles, while its ease-of-use and flexibility also permitted on-the-fly changes.
'We knew communication could make or break this event'
"Considering the size of the venue and the elaborate performances, the communication system from Clear-Com displayed excellence in terms of ease-of-installation, flexibility and reliable connectivity, while satisfying the requirements of all the organizations involved," concluded Putut.
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Ivan Budiman, head of production OCC for the XVI Games, added, "86 Inc.'s system recommendation contributed greatly to the success of these events.
Ezar P. Darnadi, technical director for the OCC, praised 86 Inc. and the Clear-Com system. "We knew communication could make or break this event," he said, "and 86 Inc. delivered tremendously for us."
