London 2012 organisers could have avoided the technical and timing problems that plagued the men's cycling road race on Saturday if they had notified mobile networks in advance, it has been claimed.

Industry sources said race organisers failed to warn them they were using the mobile phone network to carry crucial GPS data. When networks became overloaded because of the number of spectators lining the course, Locog was unable to provide accurate timing information to broadcasters, the riders on the course or their coaches following in cars.

But according to informed insiders, at no point did Locog organisers warn the Joint Olympic Operators Group – a coalition of the major mobile networks formed to deal with Games-related issues – of their plan.

The GPS chips on the bikes of Mark Cavendish and the other riders in the race, and on the course, transmitted information over the GPRS network.If Locog had informed the networks in advance, they say they could have put in extra capacity and prioritised certain types of traffic to ensure the information was not caught up with public use. They would also have erected extra mobile transmitters on the course to ensure the information was being relayed effectively.

The International Olympic Committee blamed spectators for overloading the network by using Twitter and other data services on Saturday and said they should consider sending only "urgent" messages on Sunday.

Locog said on Sunday that while there were problems with timing the distances between the peloton and breakaway group, there were no issues with timing the race.

The lack of information also caused problems for the BBC, which received a torrent of criticism from viewers who were unable to properly follow the race.

The BBC blamed Olympic Broadcast Services, which provides its pictures, which in turn blamed Locog.ends