Subject: [NEXTEL-1] UK speeds GSM-R deployment

From: Marcelrf <[email-masked]>
Date: Wed, 25 Feb 2004 02:19:18 -0500

UK speeds GSM-R deployment

A pre-configured cellular base station system based on a successful
off-site integration technique that has already sold in more than 7,500
units to Vodafone and T-Mobile has been adopted by the UK railway
operator, Network Rail for its own new GSM-R radio communication system.

Some 700 of these ready-to-use Relocatable Equipment Buildings or REBs
will be supplied under a multi-million dollar contract by
Warrington-based Alan Dick UK, part of the worldwide Alan Dick group.

The key advantage of the REB is the off-site preconfiguration. Totally
complete and self-contained, it is pre-built and pre-tested in a
controlled environment in Alan Dick UK's purpose-built facilities in
Scunthorpe, ready to be craned into place and used immediately.

"The full meaning of this benefit is crystal clear to railway operators,
who for safety reasons, can only install the base stations when rail
lines are closed" explained Derek Hussey, Alan Dick's European sales
manager. "The REB is delivered to site in a fully working state, ready
to plug in and connect, minimising the amount and time of line closures
are needed. Leading mobile operators have proved the value of this
approach already, having deployed it in quantity over the past few
years. Multiple on-site operations are eliminated, with costs and
project risks reduced significantly."

A significant number of these base station buildings are required by
Network Rail for the implementation of GSM-R. GSM-R is a safety
communications system for the railway and will enable drivers and
signallers across the country to be able to be talk directly with each
other, wherever they are on the network. Track workers will also be able
to use the new communication system which is essential to future safe
operation of the railway.

The REB solution is a containerised metal cabin that contains a complete
communications base station-radio and line transmission equipment, power
supply and air conditioning-that needs only dropping into place and
connecting to an antenna to be operational.  Being relocatable, it can
be moved readily to alternative sites if required and is rugged enough
to withstand the harshest of environments. Alan Dick UK's REB solution
is equally suitable for other communications applications, such as
housing PABXs, repeater stations and signalling equipment. Full
after-sales support is provided, including complete lifetime maintenance
and staff training to Rail Safety Standards Board (RSSB) level.

Mr Hussey concluded, "At Network Rail's request we shall fit the radio
and transmission equipment of their choice, because providing tailored
solutions to meet customers' precise requirements has always been a
cornerstone of the Alan Dick strategy. Maintaining close relationships
with a number of companies enables us to provide bespoke solutions with
the advantage of 'one stop shopping,' and our key differentiator of
vendor independence means we can always package precisely the ideal
solution for customers, unconstrained by the limitations of individual
manufacturers' portfolios. This contract is a significant milestone in
our entry into the wider transportation marketplace and puts us on track
for further orders at home and abroad. Having worked with Network Rail,
we are arousing active interest from other railways with this superb
solution."

Railways across Europe, including Britain's Network Rail, have adopted
GSM-R as a single European standard for railway mobile communication.
The communications platform is based on the global GSM system used for
public cellular radio and is already being rolled out currently by a
number of national railway administrations. It has the key advantage of
providing a single international communication standard for train
communication. Other benefits include improved interoperability between
the various railway companies at international level plus reliable data
transmission capabilities that will lead to increased safety for rail
transport.

Posted to the site on 25-Feb-04

http://www.cellular-news.com/story/10708.shtml
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