News

This year’s Andorra Ultra Trail starts on Wednesday 5 July. The riders will leave the centre of Ordino to cover 233 km and the 20,000 metres of climbs of the Eufòria dels Cims (this year’s new feature), a demanding trial in tandem which will test the resistance of even the most experienced riders.

The work on the organisation of the Ultra Trail has already been in progress for days, and Andorra Telecom is playing a leading role in it. Guaranteeing the riders’ location and the organisation’s connectivity are the priorities of the telecommunications company, which will supply a comprehensive technological set-up and large human team.

The geolocation of the participants is highly important for guaranteeing their safety. A total of 270 markers will be placed along the routes of the different races, so as to ensure the real-time tracking of the riders on the map, thanks to the chips issued by the organisation. All these markers have their corresponding SIM cards, which send the information to the organisation’s control centre, located in the Bassa d’Ordino building.

Organisation and support teams

The same technology also enables the general public to follow the riders’ progress on the internet.

In addition to the safety aspect, there is a unit ready to provide support for the organisation. The timekeeping and race control are ensured by means of a network of 85 SIM cards for each of the checkpoints, 24 USB modems with data SIM cards and 30 online timekeeping cards.

The connectivity of the race directors and support teams is also supplied by Andorra Telecom, in order to guarantee the proper coordination of the organisation. One of the outstanding features of the above is the provision of special safety numbers to be printed on the bibs of all the participants, in order to facilitate support in the event of an emergency.

Streaming broadcast

Andorra Telecom will also provide the infrastructure to stream the progress of the riders past different points on the route. To guarantee the signal, satellite dishes will be set up in Coll de les Arenes and Vall d’Incles, together with a link to the Baronia area of Els Cortals d’Encamp and a high-capacity optical fibre line in the hall located in the former Comú d’Ordino, which will receive the images from the cameras spread out along the route. Thus, it will be possible to view live coverage on the internet from the web cams located in Sorteny, La Coma d’Arcalís, El Coll de la Botella, Port de Cabús, Els Cortals d’Encamp, the sports hall of the Escola Andorrana de la Margineda and Llorts.

Connectivity with the town of Ordino, the nerve centre of the race, will also be strengthened. A public Wi-Fi area will be set up between the sports centre and the main square throughout the days of the competition and the bandwidth of the press room, the audiovisual room, the Buna hall, and the Wi-Fi of the National Auditorium will be reinforced.

Josep Llobet, Andorra Telecom’s Service Assurance Officer, highlights the importance of a race of these characteristics and the contribution made by Andorra Telecom to reinforce the safety of the riders and its visibility among the general public. “Having connectivity along the entire route is essential for having constant information on where the participants are and being able to intervene rapidly,if necessary,” he declared.