The World Athletics Championship - Doha 2019 hosted in Qatar from September 27 to October 6, 2019 has shaped a guidance to the strategy approach of the Communications Regulatory Authority (CRA) in dealing with spectrum management and monitoring during the major events to be hosted in Qatar in the coming years (e.g. FIFA World Cup 2022).
Hosting of Doha 2019 in Qatar has contributed to the development of the key features that CRA will follow in developing its high-level spectrum plan for the World Cup, which is expected to be initiated early next year 2020 in coordination with the concerned entities and stakeholders in Qatar.
Earlier this year, the CRA has started coordination with the Organizing Committee of the World Athletics Championship, Qatar Olympic Committee, representatives of the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) and representatives of the IAAF Productions. The CRA has drawn their attention to the followed regulations and procedures with respect to the use of spectrum, variety of radio applications and a substantial number of radio equipment that expected to be aggregated within a limited area as well as the followed procedures for spectrum monitoring in Qatar.
Commenting on the hosting of Doha 2019 Noof Ahmed Al-Naama, Public Relations and Communications Specialist, CRA said: “The CRA has played a key supporting role in this Championship; that come in line with CRA’s keen to enable the people around the world to watch the championship through the latest used technologies in the field of information and communications technology and broadcasting field. The CRA seeks to contribute within its mandate to the success of the world-class events hosted in Qatar and will continue to support all future events, like FIFA World Cup 2022”.
It is worth to mention that the CRA has initiated the coordination process with the concerned parties three months prior to the championship and was able to secure the access to the additional spectrum demand, to meet the spectrum needs of the organizing committee with its associated entities, in addition to the spectrum needs of the international media and broadcasting agencies and journalists. The CRA has assigned more than 740 frequencies to be used during the championship by the different concerned parties that included more than 40 broadcasting agencies and more than 60 media and press agencies.
The CRA also has facilitated the issuance of customs clearance approvals of 130 shipments that contain a large number of radio applications; radio equipment, broadcasting equipment, microphones, wireless tracking and controlling systems, wireless cameras and radio local area networks. In addition, the CRA has conducted a comprehensive test on all frequency bands that were planned to be assigned to the World Athletics Championship - Doha 2019, to ensure interference-free operation. Moreover, the CRA has located one of its spectrum monitoring stations near to Khalifa International Stadium and Corniche area, to respond to any case of interference that might occur during the event.
