The Peninsula
The Communications Regulatory Authority (CRA) has granted all broadcasting and media rights holders the radio spectrum that enables more than 3.5 billion expected viewers to tune in to unique official broadcast coverage of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 on television, digital platforms, and public screens.
The tournament's spectrum management service provider, CRA, has engaged with 120 media right holders' licensees and media agencies over the previous few months in addition to 59 of host country broadcasters, other non-right holders' media agencies, press, and photography.
Additionally, the CRA assigned more than 2,900 radio frequencies to all parties.
CRA also provided the spectrum requirements of crucial sectors in the country, such as the military, security, commercial, and other sectors; in-turn benefiting the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) and its contractors, service providers, commercial affiliates, and broadcasters.
CRA has met FIFA's spectrum requirements to enable the use of football technology and innovation, which will play an essential role in managing and analyzing the matches. Among these technologies is the semi-automated offside technology, which will be used as a technology adopted by FIFA for the first time in the history of the World Cup to help determine offside cases.
In addition, Video Assistant Referee (VAR) technology will be used for the second time in the history of the World Cup, and Goal-Line Technology (GLT) will be used for the third time ever. Furthermore, the live player and ball tracking technology will be used in the tournament, in addition to wireless communication technology between referees, all of which require their own radio frequencies that have been assigned by CRA to be used exclusively for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022.
All matters pertaining to the usage of the radio spectrum in Qatar are governed and managed by CRA. CRA is the responsible authority for developing a comprehensive spectrum plan for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 in accordance with Decree-Law No. (34) of 2006, Promulgating the Telecommunications Law amended by Law No. (17) of 2017, and the Telecommunications By-Law.
This responsibility comes in the context of the guarantee provided by the government of Qatar to FIFA to support Qatar's proposal to host this event.