The 16th National Paralympic Games, hosted last November at the Mandala Stadium in Jayapura, Papua, Indonesia saw Clear-Com Indonesian-based partner 86 Inc. recommend a crew communications approach based around Clear-Com HelixNet digital network partyline and FreeSpeak II digital wireless intercom platforms.
“The OCC, Paralympics COVID Task Force, and Ministry of Communication and Information Technology (MCIT) of Indonesia all had different concerns needing to be addressed by the comms system,” explains Dino Gonggalang, CEO of 86 Inc. 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.
“Basically, they told us their concerns and left everything to us to run it as seamlessly, reliably, and as safely as possible, which is why we went with Clear-Com for the event,” he continues.
“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,” adds Putut, the project manager for 86 Inc. “At the height of the performance, 950 dancers appeared with their props, making various configurations accompanied by lasers, fireworks, various multimedia, sound, lighting, broadcast, and 500 drones to light up the Papua sky.”
HelixNet proved most suitable for the fast pace of the Opening and Closing Ceremonies, while FreeSpeak II was well-equipped for the scale and complexity of the events, allowing team members to be untethered and talking in any configuration of channels with a high level performance in both the 1.9 GHz and 2.4 GHz bands. This combination 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.
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 flexibility also permitted on-the-fly changes. “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,” Putut concludes.
