Background
The BAPS Hindu Mandir in Abu Dhabi is the first Hindu stone temple to be built in the Middle East using traditional Indian techniques. The mandir is constructed from pink sandstone from northern Rajasthan in India and marble from Italy. The temple is 108 ft high, 262 ft long, and 180 ft wide.
The complex includes the traditional Hindu mandir, including seven shrines dedicated to various Hindu deities, a visitor center, prayer halls, exhibitions, learning areas, a sports area for children, thematic gardens, water features, a food court, and a gift shop. The temple was consecrated on 14 February 2024.
The Challenge
The main challenge facing the temple authorities was how to cope with the large number of visitors. A key issue was how to find a way to ensure the orderly and safe conduct of people and activities in and around the temple. Finding an efficient and reliable voice communication system for the temple staff was considered a vital necessity to ensure effective daily operations and crowd control, and to coordinate a swift response to any incident.
The communication system needed to be able to support communication between multiple departments including operational, maintenance, security, and religious staff. Good coverage was required both outdoors and indoors. The indoor RF coverage design was complicated by the many different rooms within the temple complex. As a result, it was felt that a traditional unlicensed PMR446 two-way radio system would not be adequate.
The communication solution needed to support multimedia short message reports, regular multimedia messages (voice or photo) within the talk groups, and provide a multimedia voice and message recording and playback facility.
The temple management did not want staff to use mobile phones for operational purposes, as access to personal communications might affect their normal work. In addition, it is not permitted to carry mobile phones in some areas of the temple complex.
The Solution
Hytera proposed its HyTalk Push-to-Talk over Cellular (PoC) system, along with 150 PNC360S and 50 PNC380 handheld PoC radio terminals. The PoC system operates over existing public 2G, 3G, and 4G mobile phone and Wi-Fi networks, requiring no new infrastructure. This makes it a highly flexible and cost-effective solution.
Another advantage of the PoC system is its ability to support an unlimited number of user talk groups, allowing each department to have its own dedicated group. The group broadcast facility ensures that every radio user can be contacted simultaneously in emergencies or when a message needs to be transmitted to everyone.
Full coverage within and outside the temple is ensured through a combination of Wi-Fi and 4G LTE networks. For example, external security guards using 4G outside the building can easily contact staff inside operating on a Wi-Fi network.
Staff in the IT monitoring room and in areas where mobile phones are not permitted can be contacted via text messages on their PNC380 devices. In emergency situations, they can send photos, voice, and text messages over the radios without exposing work-related transmissions to their personal mobile phones.
The Benefits
Seamless Coverage
Hytera PoC technology enables the Mandir staff to make instant push-to-talk (PTT) one-to-many calls to different groups of people at the same time over a mobile operator's network. Where a mobile operator's network is not available, such as indoors, the PoC devices can switch to Wi-Fi.
Compact, Portable Radios
The PNC360S is compact (just 26.5mm thick) and very portable. It fits comfortably in the palm or pocket, so staff within the temple are not burdened by having to carry a large radio.
Rugged and Tough
Both the PNC360S and PNC380 are extremely robust devices as they are IP67 certified and meet the MIL-STD-810H standard, so they are tough enough to withstand water, dust, shock, extreme temperatures, and a sudden drop up to 1.2 metres.
Loud and Clear Audio
The PoC radios feature Hytera’s noise-cancelling technology for better quality sound, while speakers deliver loud audio, so temple staff can hear messages even in noisy, crowded situations.
Emergency Button
The orange emergency button on the top of the radio enables temple staff to send an emergency call to a dispatcher or supervisor in case of an emergency.
Summary
Up to July 2024, the BAPS Hindu Mandir received over one million visitors since its opening in February. The number of daily visitors during EID reached 70,000. Hytera’s PoC system has proved to be an essential tool to help the temple staff cope with these large numbers of people and direct them efficiently and safely around the Mandir.