Nokia Siemens Networks (NSN) will be implementing advanced digital railway communication systems for Société Nationale des Chemins de Fer Tunisiens (SNCFT, ie, Tunisian Railways). NSN will deploy its Global System for Mobile Communications for Railways (GSM-R), a digital communications solution that mobilises and unites digital communications for railways by carrying signaling and operational information directly to train operators, enabling faster speeds and greater traffic density.
Under the turnkey contract, NSN will supply an end to end GSM-R solution, including hardware such as base stations, base station controllers, dispatcher equipment, and handheld devices. NSN will also provide a package of services that includes project management, in turn supporting a fast and cost-efficient deployment without any interruption to service.
High network performance and operations will be achieved through a tailored network design that "will ensure optimum coverage, capacity and minimum network problems. Highly skilled and experienced engineers with in-depth product and planning knowledge will capture relevant information for trouble resolution and technical query services, saving SNCFT time and effort." The project will commence in Q408 and implementation will be completed by 2010.
Commenting on the announcement, Michael Dickmann, Head of SNCFT Customer Team, NSN, said, "A digital communications solution like GSM-R significantly improves the security, reliability and safety of rail services. For example, since it is based on proven GSM mobile technology, it ensures uninterrupted communication. We are proud to be selected by SNCFT to roll out such a solution in Tunisia."
* Nokia Siemens Networks is one of the GSM-R platform's founding partners, with 22 commercial projects and five test networks in 15 countries. NSN's GSM-R networks serve railways in Switzerland, Sweden, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, UK, Belgium, Finland, Greece, India, China, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Norway's entire railroad network.
** SNCFT is a state owned company responsible for managing a 2,168 km network and providing both passenger and freight services. SNCFT transports 40 million passengers and 12 millions tons of goods, including 8 million tons of phosphates a year. It is organised into five business units which run 122 trains daily in the suburbs of Tunis, 46 trains in the suburbs of Sahel, 58 main line trains, 20 freight trains and 30 phosphate trains.
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