Vodafone partnership helps Mobius design a compelling solution for 2012 maritime Olympics

In 2012, the maritime Olympics will take place in Weymouth, Dorset. In anticipation of a huge influx of visitors, Dorset County Council needs a reliable traffic management system. This must be installed at least one year in advance, reassuring the council that spectators and athletes will arrive on time. Machine-to-machine solution provider Mobius used its longstanding partnership with Vodafone to create a compelling case for a machine-to-machine solution. The strength of the proposal lies in the integrated expertise of the two companies, added to their track record of successful machine-to-machine implementations.

FAST FACTS
Customer: Mobius
Web site: mobiusnetworks.co.uk
Number of employees: 12
Country or region: United Kingdom
Industry: Mobile Data

CUSTOMER PROFILE
As the UK’s first integrated data airtime provider, Mobius delivers machine-to-machine solutions for a range of industries including retail, utilities and security. Mobius is Vodafone’s preferred distributor for data SIMs.

BUSINESS BENEFITS

• Vodafone expertise demonstrates strength of mobile solution
• Vodafone/Mobius solution offers potential savings of around 40 per cent
• Vodafone/Mobius partnership builds robust urban traffic management solution
• Long-term collaborative approach matches Olympic vision

Situation
Weymouth Bay and Portland Harbour will host the Olympic and Paralympic Sailing  competitions in 2012. Three years ahead of the event, the key elements of the required infrastructure are already in place, including enhancements to the Weymouth and Portland National Sailing Academy, and new lifting and mooring facilities. The region’s profile is rising fast, with visits from Olympic athletes and Her Majesty the Queen, and athletes scheduled to begin training at the venue well in advance of the games.

Alongside 10 Olympic events with more than 500 competitors, the Paralympics will involve 400 athletes. And because all the events are ticketless, spectator numbers are potentially unlimited. For Dorset County Council, managing the influx of visitors and ensuring the timely arrival of competitors from London and beyond presents a considerable challenge. Weymouth town centre will be pedestrianised, so visitors will use a park-and-ride system. Most will be unfamiliar with the region and its public transport. To help them complete their journeys quickly and smoothly, the council needs a traffic control system that will transmit real-time travel information to drivers and passengers through a range of devices, from roadside signs to mobile phones.

The council had a choice between two connection types: the mobile network and public mobile radio. Machine-to-machine solution provider Mobius was in a prime position to help the council explore the potential of the mobile network. As one of Vodafone’s preferred distributors of data connectivity, the company has a history of successful implementations, particularly for traffic control. Douglas Gilmour, Sales Director, Mobius, says: “Dorset County Council needed a robust, cost-effective solution to help manage the huge influx of visitors to the region during the 2012 Olympics. Our public sector experience, combined with our close partnership with Vodafone, gave us the resources to accommodate every aspect of the council’s brief.”

Solution
Vodafone’s dedicated machine-to-machine team ran a site survey to assess the region’s existing network and calculate the need for additional masts, while Mobius designed an urban traffic management solution based on:
 

• Variable message signs that warn drivers of potential issues
• Real-time updates at bus stops to indicate routes and travel times
• Real-time updates – via hands-free mobile devices and digital passenger signs – for drivers, spectators and competitors on coaches travelling from London to Weymouth
• Automatic number plate recognition cameras that identify priority vehicles – such as those carrying athletes – and send location details to Weymouth based traffic management team
• Traffic light control, used to alter the frequency of changes and allow specific vehicles to pass

Mobius offered an additional layer to the Vodafone network with a fixed IP address for each device in the traffic management system, such as bus stop signs, variable message signs and cameras. These addresses will allow administrators to send crucial updates to specific devices quickly and easily. Tom Bennett, Local Government Specialist at Mobius, says: “With Vodafone’s support, we demonstrated that the mobile network would be reliable, as well as more cost-effective than radio.”

Dorset County Council is now compiling a business case for the mobile approach, based on calculations and recommendations from Vodafone and Mobius. “The council knows that the traffic management system it chooses will play a major role in the success of the Olympic sailing events, and the long-term benefits gained by the local community. With Vodafone, we’ve shown that we have the right mindset, as well as the technical know-how, to deliver a dependable solution,” Gilmour says.

Business benefits
Its partnership with Vodafone has helped Mobius to forge a reputation as a leading supplier of machine-to-machine solutions, particularly in the local government sector. Gilmour says: “Our expertise, allied with Vodafone’s network coverage and dedicated machine-to-machine team, has taken us to the forefront of our industry. Put simply, we deliver a stronger solution together than we could apart. With Vodafone’s support, we can take on highprofile, large-scale projects that would be difficult to secure on our own. The Olympic project will be a fantastic opportunity to demonstrate the strength of the mobile network when it’s backed by reliable, quality-focused support.”

• Vodafone expertise demonstrates strength of mobile solution. By working with Vodafone, the preferred network provider for most machine-to-machine devices, Mobius presented a compelling case for the use of an extended mobile network rather than public mobile radio. Vodafone’s early involvement in the project reassured the council that the Vodafone network would offer the required capacity, while providing a more future-proof and flexible solution than public mobile radio. “Vodafone’s groundwork on network capacity was fundamental. The council knows that Vodafone offers excellent coverage, and that it has the resources to construct temporary masts compliant with World Heritage site regulations,” says Bennett.
   
• Vodafone/Mobius solution offers potential savings of around 40 per cent. While public mobile radio is independent of any other system and free of call costs, installation and maintenance costs are high. Vodafone and Mobius worked together to show that machine-to-machine connectivity would minimise costs, without compromising availability.
   
• Vodafone/Mobius partnership builds robust urban traffic management solution. The proposed solution would ease administration time and costs for Dorset County Council, thanks to the use of fixed IP addresses for each component of the traffic management system. It would also minimise the cost of marshalling the event by automating many of the communications required to manage traffic. Real-time travel information will help members of the public  and coach companies transferring athletes to plan journeys, avoid obstructions and arrive on time.
   
• Long-term collaborative approach matches Olympic vision. “Vodafone appreciates that machine-to-machine projects have unique challenges and timelines. It also has the flexibility to tackle a ticketless event, because of the strength of the Vodafone network and the technical resources available to extend it,” says Gilmour.

“The Vodafone approach to machine-tomachine technology and services matches ours perfectly. We’re there to deliver an end-to-end solution based on a long-term, collaborative engagement with the customer.”

Douglas Gilmour, Sales Director, Mobius