Israel is not playing in the World Cup 2018 football tournament in Russia but is certainly a key player with its technological contributions to the games.
By: United with Israel Staff
The Israeli national football team did not qualify for the 2018 World Cup in Russia, but Israel’s state-of-the-art, behind-the-scenes technological contributions to the games are prominently featured at the various Russian stadiums.
Israel’s Mtech team, for example, would definitely be considered crucial players, enhancing the safety of the games.
Israel’s Yedioth Aharonot reported that Mtech’s fire and smoke detection systems have contributed to the security of hundreds of thousands of fans at the huge stadiums in the Russian cities of Volgograd and Nizhny Novograd.
“Since 2006, we have been trying to market ourselves to the Russian market,” said Haim Kaplan, owner of the company.
“Twelve years ago, we had a breakthrough as we developed control systems as part of the building safety system, providing complete control and viewing of a smoke and fire event and achieving control in seconds. Two years ago, we signed contracts with these two stadiums and established a control and observation system.”
The company is considered a global leader in its field.
“This is a great achievement. The highlight is our graphic software, which presents all the fire and smoke data in the stadiums,” added CEO Yair Gindin.
“As a small company from the [Jezreel] Valley, we managed to win prestigious budgets like that of the World Cup, which is a win that will pave the way for us in the face of other international tenders,” Kaplan concluded.
Israel’s LiveU has developed technology that enables the transmission of live broadcasts over cellular networks, and broadcasters from around the world use the company’s equipment, China’s Xinhua news reported.
LiveU reported that it has deployed 300 transmission units, the highest number ever provided by the company at a sporting event.
Fox News, Sky, Reuters, AP and Telemundo have all made use of this cutting-edge technology.
The company also operates a Russian- and English-speaking team in the field, which provided technical support and logistical services.
LiveU signed agreements with Russian mobile operators to ensure fast connectivity as well as smooth and stable transmissions.