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With more than four billion people expected to watch the London 2012 Opening and Closing Ceremonies in June, you may wonder how the Olympic Games make it to your living room from a camera halfway around the world.

Dow Chemical has the answers for you. As the Official Chemistry Company of the London 2012 Olympic Games, Dow Chemical will provide wire and cable materials to enable reliable transmission and distribution of signals, while protecting the cables from damage during the Olympic Games. Between your TV and the Olympic Games in June, signals will be transmitted through copper conductors inside the cables provided by Dow.

Global Telecommunications Platform Leader for Dow Electrical & Telecommunications, Damien Polansky, explained to TMCnet how it is possible for viewers to watch the Olympic Games so clearly all over the world.

“These transmission media require durable, efficient and long-lasting insulation and jacketing materials to ensure uninterrupted signals over the life of these systems – whether in the Olympic Broadcast Center or the infrastructure carrying the signals across continents to our homes,” said Polansky.

The electrical performance of Dow’s insulating materials results in more efficient communications, ultimately helping reduce power consumption. The damage resistant technology provided allows the wire and cables to be easily re-used and recycled. Dow’s solutions inside wire and cables will also have a lasting impact on London’s technology infrastructure and will be re-used in other projects after the Games.

“Our materials are designed to handle everyday abuse allowing for recycle and reuse of the finished cables. And the electrical performance of our insulating materials allow for more efficient communications, increasing the span between expensive electronics and/or reducing the power consumption for telecom networks,” said Polansky.

Additionally, for highly flexible applications for indoor use, DOW ECOLIBRIUM Bio-Based Plasticizers from Dow Electrical & Telecommunications are a family of phthalate-free and lead-free plasticizers produced for use in wire insulation and jacketing. 

Made from nearly 100 percent renewable feedstocks, DOW ECOLIBRIUM Bio-Based Plasticizers help cable-makers and original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) reduce greenhouse gas emissions by up to 40 percent if used instead of traditional PVC plasticizers.  DOW ECOLIBRIUM Bio-Based Plasticizers are the first bio-based plasticizers on the market with the ability to meet all requirements for flame resistance and exhibit the same performance and feel as incumbent PVC plasticizers. 

So, how long do these Dow features last?

 “Cables have been known to maintain consistent and high-performance operation over decades of life…and numerous Olympics games!” Polansky said.

Stronger protection and the unique balance of properties in Dow’s products allow wire and cable to be easily re-used and recycled.

“As a result, our direct customer Belden who provides the cables for the Olympic Broadcast Center, will be able to collect, retest, and reuse a significant percentage of the cables used during the London Games for future events,” Polansky explained.

Post 2012 Olympic Games, Dow and Michigan State University ‘s recent Tanzania Beyond Tomorrow project will provide the opportunity to recycle the broadcast cables to help connect remote schools in Tanzania to the global communications infrastructure to foster education in the region.