Telecommunications services ready for Olympics

Beijing says it will offer and safeguard telecommunications services during the upcoming Olympic Games. The Vice Minister of Industry and Information Technology Xi Guohua announced the government's measures at a news conference this afternoon.

He says the preparation of telecommunications services at Olympic venues, media centers, the Olympic Village and relevant hotels and hospitals, has started two years ago.

He told the conference that the systems are now basically ready. The Vice Minister says technology will play a crucial role. He says the "TD-SCDMA", China's homegrown 3G communications technology, will take center stage during the Olympics. Emergency communications systems are also ready for the Games.

2010 Winter Games team to learn from Beijing 2008

OTTAWA, July 16 (Xinhua) -- The Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games (VANOC) is sending a team to the Beijing Olympics hoping to gain operational experiences.

"While this will be Beijing's moment on the world stage, there will still be much to learn from their hard work and preparations," said John Furlong, VANOC Chief Executive Officer in a press release issued on Wednesday.

"This will be our last opportunity to see, first-hand, the impact of the Games on a host city, how the organizing committee handles the unexpected incidents and to identify areas where we might find further efficiencies to create the best possible experience in 2010." He said.

In addition to various working meetings with stakeholders and partners, VANOC team members will participate in Olympic and Paralympic observer tours and round table sessions in areas such as accommodation, ceremonies, sponsorship, technology, transportation, ticketing and volunteer management.