Next Generation Railway Communications Highlighted by Alcatel-Lucent at InnoTrans 2014

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Next Generation Railway Communications Highlighted by Alcatel-Lucent at InnoTrans 2014

From original posting on Alcatel-Lucent TRACKTalk Blog

InnoTrans might have been and gone for another two years but Alcatel-Lucent’s highlights from the world’s largest railway exhibition live on in three videos which are now available to view at any time online.

Hall 4.1 was entirely dedicated to Train Control and Communications for railway networks and Alcatel-Lucent’s expertise in this critical field was shown in four key demonstrations: Converged IP/MPLS Network for Railways, Agile Optical Network for Railways, Long Term Evolution (LTE) ground-to-train communications, and Cloud Connected Passenger. A short overview of all of these solutions and their specific applications is now available to view here.

As the video shows, Alcatel-Lucent’s LTE Ground-to-Train solutions will be deployed in the Grand Paris project’s Telecom System for Future Urban Transport (Systuf). This new communications system is based on LTE, and to demonstrate the capabilities of LTE at InnoTrans, Alcatel-Lucent set up a live LTE network which hosted multiple mission-critical and non mission-critical applications. This included on-board CCTV, emergency communications, live driver view footage feeds, platform video feeds, train location services, and Tetra/PMR voice.

This live LTE network was also the foundation of Alcatel-Lucent’s Cloud Connection demonstration, which offered a vision of what the passenger train of the future might look like. The next generation of on-board infotainment services which leverage ultra-broadband connectivity were shown in a multimedia table. As the video shows, the table incorporates on board IPTV, video on-demand services, and online shopping, while passengers can use the service to book a table in the train restaurant, or check to see whether the toilet is occupied.

Perhaps the highlight exhibit for Alcatel-Lucent’s was the world-premiere presentation of its Converged IP/MPLS Network for Railways. The demonstration showed how Alcatel-Lucent’s IP/MPLS service routers and switches can build a single converged communications network infrastructure that supports all railways services and applications including signalling, as well as provide a smooth migration of existing legacy systems like analogue CCTV and GSM-R base stations to the new network. A brief overview is available in the first video, but for a detailed demonstration of IP/MPLS and its capabilities click here.

An in-depth look at Alcatel-Lucent’s agile optical networks for railways is also available in the overview and a third video. This technology is intended to counter cyber security threats to mission-critical applications, with Alcatel-Lucent’s latest solutions, Wavelength Tracker, and the 1830 Phototonic Service Switch (PSS), which constantly monitors optical losses and detects any intrusions, on display. PSS can also be fitted with the AES-256 layer 1 encryption module to preserve the integrity of the network, providing network operators with added peace of mind that their networks are protected from even the most sophisticated security threats.

With over 130,000 visitors from more than 100 countries in attendance, the 10th anniversary edition of InnoTrans was the largest exhibition yet. It was also a big success for Alcatel-Lucent. We hope you enjoy our round up of the highlights from our exhibit.



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