On Sunday, Jan Frodeno broke the world record for long-distance triathlon. Deutsche Telekom was there live and up close. The triathlete was wearing LiveRank, Deutsche Telekom's triathlon tracking system.
3,400 individual starters and 650 relay teams from more than 72 countries started at the Roth triathlon; around 130 athletes tested Deutsche Telekom's LiveRank during the competition. The Internet of Things makes it possible: triathlon fans, friends and family followed the competitors live, using Deutsche Telekom's tracking tool, following information about the standings, location and estimated arrival times of their favorites. LiveRank passed its trial by fire in Roth, tracking athletes live over more than 28,000 km. The DATEV Challenge Roth is the world's largest long-distance triathlon competition, with 3.8 kilometers of swimming, over 180 kilometers of cycling and a concluding marathon over 42 kilometers.
Co-development with SAS
The LiveRank system emables constant location tracking via GPS. Deutsche Telekom developed this solution together with SAS Technologies from Nuremberg. Athletes wear a transmitter unit about the size of a matchbox. The LiveRank system is equipped with a SIM card, Bluetooth and GPS module, among other features, and continually transmits current competitor data – such as position and speed – to a cloud platform, through the mobile network, that all sports fans worldwide can access – on smartphones, tablet PCs or desktops. In an emergency, athletes can press an SOS button on the transmitter to text a call for assistance to the closest first-aid station – their location is determined and included automatically. Helpers can respond quickly and directly.