The scale and grandeur of the Winter Olympics in Sochi is estimated to have cost Russia an astronomical $46 billion. Two of its key telecom partners, Rostelecom and Megafon, pledged less than one percent: about $415 million total. But was that enough to turn a mountainous subtropical resort into a world-class connected site, with full LTE coverage for the first time in the Olympics' history? And perhaps more importantly, what behind-the-scenes technology keeps the Olympics running securely?
You've probably heard multiple accounts of everyday life horrors in Sochi, such as missing bulbs in hotel rooms, weird bathrooms, and dangerous manholes. But complaints about the cell coverage, Wi-Fi quality (even if it was provided that way), and overall connectivity have been nearly indiscernible in the Olympic buzz.
Digital surveillance fears, however, lingered across the board.
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