VoIP solves regatta communications 'headache'

The yearly Charles Regatta in Massachusetts requires a good deal of planning to accommodate the 8,000 participants and 250,000 spectators that flock to the two-day event.

But for Ben Hamilton, the assistant director of the regatta, communications in the build-up to the big day present a particular problem.

New members of staff are brought in temporarily to help with the organisation of the event, but installing temporary traditional landlines for them to use had proved a hassle.

"Between the coordination with the service provider, the billing details and the actual installation - putting in those extra lines each year was my biggest headache," Mr Hamilton told Computer Weekly.

To solve this problem of needing a short-term increase in lines, Mr Hamilton turned to VoIP, selecting a system by US-based provider Whaleback which offered a solution which allowed for ramping up of services whenever necessary, as well as round-the-clock monitoring of the lines to help identify issues before they grow into service-suspending problems.