As part of its supervision and monitoring work, Autoridade Nacional de Comunicações (ANACOM) will send teams to attend the various musical and sporting events taking place in Portugal this weekend to prevent any communication problems occurring that might affect the event itself or obstruct the work of essential services such as security and emergency services and civil aviation. These events include the final of football's Taça de Portugal, a concert by Adele, and also the Rock in Rio music festival.
This work is necessary because these large events involve a high concentration of radio resources, which can cause interference and disturbances in communications, and it is essential to prevent situations which may affect the communication networks used by the various organisations and authorities involved in the events (security businesses and authorities, artists, the fire service, the media, public operators, etc.). At Rock in Rio alone, temporary licensing is granted to over 300 communications networks operating in the same space, in addition to all other existing networks. All these networks will be monitored by ANACOM.
In many cases, situations detected by ANACOM involve unlawful network use without proper licensing, which often causes interference to the networks of properly licensed operators; as such, ANACOM teams will work to ensure the integrity and success of communications by preventing any unlawful use and by resolving any problems of interference which may occur.
This activity peaks in the spring and summer period, with a series of major music festivals and a large number of sporting competitions, but is always called upon whenever there are social, political or religious events which bring together a large number of radio resources.
