London 2012 will be mobile

The London Olympic Games will use mobile technology to increase event-goer interaction

Organisers of the London 2012 Olympic Games have started to devise a mobile strategy with BT as part of a plan geared at improving the event-goers' experiences, BT officials told Computing.

"There are plans to give an emphasis to mobile technology to enhance consumer interaction at the games," said Stuart Hill, vice president of BT's London 2012 delivery programme.

The telecoms giant is currently working on the scope of projects to be carried out under its responsibility for the communications infrastructure needed to deliver the Games, said Hill.

The planning stage will include monitoring consumer trends around mobile use to define which services should be introduced before live testing begins in 2010.

"We are in talks with Gerry [Pennell, chief information officer at London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games (LOCOG)] to see how we can deploy services to support mobility and improve the way people interface with the Games," said Hill.

"London knows how to have a party, so there will be a lot of consumer activity in and around the event sites and therefore a good opportunity to introduce mobile services to the audience."

Mobile services that may be introduced include live updates of sporting events and X-Factor-style polls on the public's favourite athletes, as well as the roll-out of near-field communication-enabled terminals to allow payment of under £10 for items using mobiles equipped with the technology.

The telecoms group will also be working alongside LOCOG and Samsung on the potential development of a new handset to be used by staff working at event sites, which should be available in 2011 for live testing and training.