Andrew wins race to install wireless coverage on new Chinese train

Details: Category: Consumer Ecosystems; 13 August 2008; 10533 views

Jointly developed by Andrew and Siemens, advanced wireless communications are being installed on the new CRH3 Harmony multiple unit trains running on the Beijing-Tianjin high speed railway...

Jointly developed by Andrew and Siemens, advanced wireless communications are being installed on the new CRH3 Harmony multiple unit trains running on the Beijing-Tianjin high speed railway. The trains have in turn been introduced specifically for the Olympics and travel at a maximum speed of 350 km/h.

As improvement projects for the 2008 Summer Olympics come into play, a new high speed train sprinting between Beijing and Tianjin in China is supporting super-fast wireless communications onboard thanks to Andrew, a division of CommScope. Andrew and Siemens jointly designed an advanced wireless communications system for the CRH3 Harmony multiple unit trains, which were developed specifically for the Olympics and have maximum speeds of 350 km/h. The CRH3 trains began running on the Beijing-Tianjin high speed railway line on August 1, helping bring guests from all corners of the world to Beijing for the 2008 Summer Olympics.

“We are honored to bring our technology and experience to one of the major local infrastructure projects of the Beijing Olympics,” said Matt Melester, Vice-President and General Manager, Wireless Innovations, Andrew. “Providing reliable wireless signals in high speed trains is challenging because of diverse terrain and constantly changing signal levels...Andrew is proud to help in the rapid development of China’s rail transportation.”

Andrew installed and deployed MIR-T in-train repeaters in some compartments, which transmit and receive wireless signals to passenger handheld devices from existing base stations near the railways, providing passengers with high-quality and high-reliability mobile phone signals while they travel. The company also conducted extensive on-site testing and radio frequency measurements to confirm the system will meet passenger expectations. All those travelling the 120 kilometers between Beijing and Tianjin can now pass the time on activities such as talking to friends or checking business email.

Among other aspects of technology, Andrew is utilising dynamic gain control in its MIR-T in-train repeater series, which automatically adjusts the upstream and downstream gains, preventing excessive high upstream noise from decreasing the reception sensitivity near the base station. On high speed trains, the upstream and downstream gains must be adjusted rapidly to maintain the relative stability of the wireless signals for passengers onboard. Andrew’s MIR-T in-train repeaters are mounted using a standard 19" cabinet.

Andrew has provided wireless coverage systems for China’s railways before, most recently on Beijing Metro’s six lines, again in preparation for the 2008 Summer Olympics. The company boasts over 15 years of experience in designing, testing, installing and managing complicated wireless signal distribution systems for metropolitan railways, tramways, and other large-sized construction projects.

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