As the world gathered at TED2025 to explore the provocative theme ‘Humanity Reimagined’, Clear-Com , supported by NETGEAR networking infrastructure, delivered flawless communications to keep every element of the globally anticipated event running smoothly. Hosted at the Vancouver Convention Centre, TED2025 drew thousands of the world’s leading thinkers and doers. Behind the scenes, production teams depended on a robust communications backbone designed around Clear-Com’s Eclipse Delta Frame, FreeSpeak wireless systems, and Dante audio distribution, all networked over high-performance NETGEAR switches.
Clear-Com’s intercom architecture enabled clear, instant communication across TED’s multiple stages, breakout spaces, and control rooms. Key elements included Eclipse, integrating FreeSpeak II wireless beltpacks for untethered mobility, plus Dante audio interfaces to interoperate with the broader AV ecosystem. Transceivers deployed throughout the venue, ensuring full-duplex wireless coverage for producers, camera operators, audio engineers, and event managers.
The flexibility of Eclipse to seamlessly integrate wireless, wired, and IP solutions, combined with FreeSpeak’s renowned audio clarity and range, gave the TED technical team complete confidence across every facet of production. From coordinating dynamic stage transitions to managing press and speaker logistics in real time, Clear-Com ensured that crews remained connected, responsive, and fully focused on bringing TED’s powerful stories to life.
NETGEAR AV Line M4250 switches, configured with AES67 audio and trunking profiles, served as the critical backbone, ensuring low-latency, reliable transport for both intercom and high-resolution audio streams. Sarah Koehler, Applications Engineer at Clear-Com, who was on-site for the installation, noted, “The comms engineer was impressed by how quickly I could bring the NETGEAR switches online with pre-built AES67 profiles and auto-trunking features.”
The system’s ease of deployment was matched by its reliability, essential for a live event of this scale. With four NETGEAR switches supporting the show’s intercom and audio systems, the TED production team experienced rock-solid performance throughout the week-long conference. “Clear-Com’s system was a really helpful tool for us. With so many simultaneous needs and live program shifts, we needed total confidence in our communications. With the power of Eclipse and FreeSpeak combined, we had flawless audio quality and the flexibility to adapt on the fly, exactly what an event of this scale demands,” said TED’s Head of Production, Mina Sabet. Bob Boster, President of Clear-Com, added, “TED is all about exploring the future of human potential, and we’re proud to support that mission by empowering the behind-the-scenes teams with communication tools they can trust. Partnering with NETGEAR allowed us to deliver a world-class, integrated solution that exceeded the technical needs of this extraordinary event.”
