Nokia (News - Alert) Siemens Networks has announced the implementation of India’s first GSM Railways (GSM-R) communications solution under the Mobile Train Radio Communication (MTRC) project for North Central Railways.

 

For this project, Nokia Siemens (News - Alert) Networks supplied an end-to-end GSM-R radio solution, including switching, base stations and controllers, cab radios and hand held devices to Indian Railways.

 

The solution, Railway Vantage Intelligent Network software, replaces earlier communication methods with a single streamlined digital radio system, which carries directly signaling and operational information between the moving train driver, guard and train controller on ground.

 

The Railway Vantage Intelligent Network software allows the train controller and the driver/ guard to contact each other without knowing mobile numbers or location of the locomotive.

 

Inaugurated last week, the solution has currently been deployed on a 270 kilometer stretch between Mathura and Jhansi under North central railways.

 

Additionally, officials said that their company will also provide a broad range of services including network design, installation and commissioning, project management, training, operations and maintenance, network integration.

 

Moreover, the company will also provide management of the network for a year.

 

“We are very proud to have implemented the first GSM-R based signaling solution in India. GSM-R is the basis on which the future signaling & communication needs of Indian Railways will be built,” said Michael Kuehner, head for sub-region India at Nokia Siemens Networks (News - Alert).

 

“I appreciate the fact that Nokia Siemens Networks has come up to the expectations of Indian Railways and has been able to speedily ramp up software and hardware requirements suggested by us,” said K C Jena, chairman of Indian Railway Board.

 

Nokia Siemens Networks is one of the inventors of GSM-R technology, with Siemens researching and creating the GSM-R standard starting in the early 1990s.

 

To date Nokia Siemens notes that it has deployed 22 GSM-R networks in 15 countries serving 50,000 km of railways. In India, Nokia Siemens Networks is currently implementing the GRM-R solution for the Northern Railway, North Frontier Railway and East Central Railway.