The Background
The African Security Services Company (ASSC) was established to manage and secure facilities, properties, individuals and sports events, as part of the Egyptian government’s plan to achieve sustainable development under its Egypt Vision 2030 initiative.
The ASSC is responsible for organizing and managing security at big international sporting and other mega events in Egypt. ASSC needed a robust and highly reliable two-way radio system to ensure efficient operations. As part of its radio selection process, ASSC invited the major two-way radio manufacturers to test and demonstrate their products in the Cairo International Stadium.
The tests were carried out as part of the preparations for the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations (2019 AFCON) hosted by Egypt, which was overseen by the Confédération Africaine de Football (CAF), the governing body of African football.
The footprint of the 75,000 all-seater Cairo International Stadium is 200,000 sq m, but different radio brands all failed to provide full coverage unless they installed a repeater. However, Hytera was able to successfully demonstrate that its TC780 analog portable radio could cover the entire stadium, including the pitch, all the seating areas and the indoor facilities including offices, changing rooms and corridors, without needing to deploy a repeater.
The ASSC then wanted to test the TC780 in an actual live match without using a repeater before the start of CAF 2019 AFCON. It conducted the test during a friendly home match between Egypt’s two biggest football clubs, Al-Ahly and Zamalek, at the Borg El-Arab Stadium, 25 km west of Alexandria. The stadium is Egypt’s largest sporting venue with a seating capacity of 86,000. The successful test gave ASSC the confidence that the Hytera TC780 could do the job.
Impressed by the spectral efficiency, high sensitivity and output power of the TC780 device, ASSC decided to issue its staff with the radio for use at all international and local championships sports activities in Egypt. In 2019, ASSC signed a contract with Hytera local partner, Middle East for Trading Company - a relationship which continues to the present.
Middle East for Trading Company also provides an after sales service, which includes regular radio check ups and ongoing maintenance services by members of its technical team who work on site at the sports venues.
The Challenge
The Middle East for Trading Company was able to provide full coverage of the Borg El-Arab Stadium, Egypt’s largest stadium, using the Hytera TC780 analog radio, thereby demonstrating it could be deployed at any venue in the country.
The Borg El-Arab Stadium covers 609,000 sq m, and the coverage has to extend out as far as, and all the way along, the 3km perimeter fence. It also has to cover the 6 km internal road network, a 5,000 space car park, the 200 capacity bus park beside an airstrip, and the 136 electronic entrances. The RF signal also had to cope with an awning, which covers 35% of the total stadium area.
ASSC successfully deployed the TC780 devices during the 2021 IHF World Men's Handball Championship, but its latest challenge is to provide security at the
CAF 2023 Under-20 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON U-20 2023) tournament. The competition was hosted by Egypt with matches played from 19 February to 11 March 2023.
ASSC had to provide security, and therefore ensure complete radio coverage at all the matches, which were played at venues in three cities. The venues were the 75,000-seater Cairo International Stadium in Cairo, the 22,000-seater Suez Canal Stadium in Ismailia and at two stadiums in Alexandria, the 22,000-seater Haras El Hodoud Stadium and 20,000-seater Alexandria Stadium.
The Solution
The Hytera TC780 analog portable radios have proved to be a reliable and trustworthy choice for ASSC, while the technical team from Middle East for Trading Company has provided an excellent after sales service, including the provision of spare parts and accessories on the spot.
The TC780 is a medium- to high-tier two-way radio with an LCD display, full numeric keypad, full frequency band and 256 channels. It fulfils ASSC’s group dispatch needs and delivers powerful functions, stable performance, and high price to performance ratio. The whisper mode enables the radio to pick up even very quiet transmissions.
Middle East for Trading Company continues to provide ASSC with regular check ups for the radios and a continual maintenance service. The company’s technical team carry out maintenance and repairs on site at the stadiums, so ASSC does not have to send the radios back to a central destination when they need servicing.
ASSC is involved in providing security at sensitive international and national events where it has to ensure the protection of visiting dignitaries, sports players and the fans. Ensuring the safety of fans within the stadium and at the critical entrance and exit area of famous football clubs is essential.
It is vital that ASSC security staff can reliably communicate with each at all times to ensure daily operations are carried out efficiently and to coordinate a rapid response to any emergency. Having Middle East for Trading Company technical staff on site ensures that radios are always available for use as they are kept in good working order and are maintained and serviced quickly and professionally.
In addition, the TC780 radios also provide clear communications inside the stadiums within narrow corridors, offices and administrative areas, and in the changing rooms - all without the need for a repeater.
The Benefits
Wide And Powerful Coverage
The Hytera TC780 analog radio’s sensitivity and power output cannot be matched by other two-way radio brands operating in the Egyptian market. This makes the TC780 the radio of choice for staff tasked with the security and organization of all international and local events, especially football matches. This includes all the Egyptian Premier League and Egypt Cup (Egyptian FA Cup) matches where ASSC is responsible for the security and organization.
Value For Money Solution
Thanks to the TC780’s power and range, there is no need to install repeaters at the various Egyptian stadiums, so this makes it a very cost effective solution for the client.
Loud, Clear Audio
Sporting events are very noisy, but the TC780’s voice compander audio enhancement, whisper mode technology and its powerful 1.5W speaker ensure users benefit from a clear, crisp sound even in noisy football stadiums.
Personal Safety Options
The TC780 supports a number of optional safety features including Lone Worker and Man Down alerts, which will let colleagues know if someone is in trouble or has had an accident. The Safety Check feature means that if a user does not respond to a safety check signal, then an emergency procedure is activated.
