Unprecedented Internet usage causing temporary technical difficulties as The Third Lausanne Congress convenes on its second day.
CAPE TOWN, SOUTH AFRICA, 18 October 2010 — Due to the high demand for bandwidth and other Internet connectivity challenges, video from The Third Lausanne Congress on World Evangelization was delayed on Monday — but should be available soon. Technologists serving on the Congress staff have been working around the clock to resolve the issue.
‘This is an unprecedented level of Internet usage for the country of South Africa, even more than when the World Cup was here,’ explains Amy Donovan, Tech Squad Manager for the Congress. ‘We’re taking video of every single session and will be broadcasting it to the world as soon as our technical problems are solved.’
Donovan added, ‘For this particular Congress, our connections are more than double of any other conference they’ve held in the venue. But we have a strong collaboration among our internal team and the Center itself. We’re trying to give each group what they need, with an emphasis on providing support to the broadcast team.’
It’s a slight road bump during what has become an historic moment. ‘It’s the first time the entire world will be able to access the Congress through technology, assuming we fix our problems—which we will,’ commented Doug Birdsall, executive chair of The Lausanne Movement.
In addition to the 4,000 on-site participants from 197 countries, the Congress extends to an anticipated 100,000 individuals at nearly 700 GlobaLink sites in more than 95 countries worldwide. GlobaLink allows users to download videos from the Congress — in a number of different formats and languages — along with a synopsis and study questions, allowing them to hear voices from around the globe challenging the Church in the 21st century.