Siemens Wins Additional GSM-R Contracts in India
Train engineers, conductors and stationmasters in the Indian regions of Delhi, Haryana, Punjab and Jammu an Kashmir will in future be able to communicate with one another over a new mobile system. Indian Railway is gradually migrating its rail communication to GSM-Railway (GSM-R) with the aim of increasing the safety, security and reliability of rail traffic. Indian Railway has awarded two additional contracts to the Siemens Communications group to supply the new technology. Siemens will thus equip 2,200 kilometers of the rail network with GSM-R technology.
In contrast to the walkie-talkie communication system thus far employed by Indian Railway, GSM-R will support conference calls between multiple people, for example, and assure a stable connection, regardless of weather conditions. In addition, pressing a single key will enable the train engineer to automatically contact the control center at the nearest station via his GSM-R mobile handset without having to dial its discrete number.
Within the next twelve months, Siemens Communications will be supplying Indian Railway with its railway@vantage solution, featuring custom-tailored applications for rail traffic. This solution encompasses the entire network infrastructure for expanding the GSM-R network, as well as all components required for operation: switches, base stations, service and administration platforms, as well as mobile handsets for the train engineers. In addition to installation and start-up, the contract also includes services such as personnel training and system maintenance for the next three years.
In December 2004, Siemens announced its breakthrough in the market for GSM-R in India with a contract from Indian Railway. With the two new contracts, the Communications Group can further strengthen its position as the world's leading vendor of mobile solutions for rail communication.
"Given the popularity of the GSM standard and the tremendous importance of rail traffic in this region, GSM-R technology offers enormous growth potential," said C hristoph Caselitz, President of the Mobile Networks Division at Siemens Communications. "This makes India one of the world's most important markets for rail communication."
Indian Railway operates a rail network of some 63,000 kilometers in total length and 14,000 trains, which carry more than 14 million passengers and over a million tons of freight a day. By gradually equipping its main lines with GSM-R, Indian Railway intends to enhance the safety, security and reliability of its rail traffic. This technology, which is based on the international GSM mobile communication standard, will help to integrate the voice and data applications required for rail communication into a single system."
Posted to the site on 29th August 2005