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Cricket World Cup uses WLAN from Symbol against ticket fraud

So you've been following the Cricket World Cup?

It hasn't just produced sporting surprises, including the fastest Century on record (John Davison of Canada seen above), but has also seen reduced ticket fraud and automatically monitored crowd levels for the first time in Africa, using wireless local area networks (WLAN) coupled with scanners and composite barcodes.

Knowing that ticket fraud and crowd safety were two key factors to consider, the International Cricket Council (ICC) asked South African reseller Dimension Data Holdings plc to install temporary Symbol Technologies' Spectrum24 WLANs at four stadiums with no existing wired infrastructure.

The Symbol WLAN connects public access gates to a central server through Symbol Technologies 4131 Access Points and a single Root Access Point. As members of the public arrive and present tickets, each ticket's printed barcode is scanned and automatically checked against a database on the server; eliminating fraud or double-use of a ticket. Once validated, the spectator enters the stadium to enjoy the cricket.

As well as ensuring revenue from decreased ticket fraud, the system raises safety levels, by monitoring the flow of spectators into and out of the grounds, allowing staff to address overcrowding, either in stands or at particular gates , before it can escalate. The WLAN networks are part of a larger technology solution implemented by the ICC for the World Cup.