Zello push-to-talk (PTT) is the perfect communications solution for many sporting events, as it's easy to coordinate large groups of people who are scattered about a stadium or race course. Channels are versatile, and on the consumer app up to 3500 users can be on a public, private, or broadcast-only type channel.
We heard from our affiliate partner, GSP Technologies, about a bike race they were providing communications support for in June. Translated "NeverStop", the annual race is sponsored by the Taipei Cycling Association and is the biggest race of its kind in Taiwan. The co-organizer is the Nantou County government which includes public safety, emergency, environmental protection, sport, and tourism agencies.
The race was held on June 2, 2018 and over 4200 racers participated, from all walks of life, with ages ranging from teens to seniors. The goals of the race are to promote exercise, healthy lifestyle habits, and tourism for the region. GSP was tasked to provide real-time communications for the event, which lasted 7 hours and covered a distance of 99.9 km (62 miles).
GSP has been using Zello since their company started developing push-to-talk-over-cellular (PoC) devices in 2014. They liked Zello so much, they became a partner through ourAffiliate Program. The ease-of-use and the fact that Zello could run on many types of Bluetooth devices were major selling points. GSP provides a wide range of communication solutions, including PoC with Zello to clients and several major sports events throughout the year, including bike and auto races. They find the GPS tracking feature on Zello especially useful for tracking the speed, location, and performance of race car drivers.
Two specialized PTT devices that GSP has helped developed for Zello use are the Talkimate and ChiLoki Bluetooth accessories. The Talkimate is a handheld device which supports both iOS and Android and can be clipped onto a backpack, purse, or lanyard. The ChiLoki is a button device which can be mounted on a bike handle or car steering wheel.
On NeverStop race day, GSP set up two channels, one on Zello for race staff and one on the free consumer app for the public to use. Both worked without any problems and made communications run smoothly during the entire race. After the race was over, the Zello subscription was easily cancelled, without incurring a cancellation fee - another benefit of using Zello over other PTT services.
GSP plans to continue expanding the use of Zello in sporting events, and will be using it for all 10 Taipei Cycling Association events this year. We are proud to have been a part of this year's NeverStop bike race and look forward to an even bigger event next year.
If you are interested in partnering with Zello by creating hardware accessories, integrating Zello into your own app, or joining our Affiliate Program, drop us a line at sales@zello.com. We are constantly looking for new partners and would love to work with you!
