Wireless on the mountains

The world's highest railway line uses GSM-R network

Eastern Railway, one of India's major railways, has issued a formal 'Letter
of Award' to Telecom-munications Consultants India Ltd (TCIL) selecting Nortel
Networks as the sole provider of a GSM for Railways (GSM-R) digital wireless
network.

TCIL, a Government of India enterprise, is working with Nortel Networks
through public tender to deliver the network to help reduce railway operat-ional
costs, improve railway safety and deliver new services for passengers and
employees.

Under terms of the Letter of Award, TCIL will deploy a communications network
based on Nortel Networks GSM-R technology for the 261-kilometer, 24-station rail
line running between Eastern Railway divisional head-quarters in Howrah (West
Bengal's second largest city) and Pradhankunta. The new communications network
is scheduled for completion within 12 months.

The GSM-R network is part of an initial phase by Eastern Railway to modernize
its national railway communicat-ions system. Eastern Railway serves one of 16
key railway zones in India selected to deploy GSM-R, a European Union-sponsored
wireless technology now being deployed across Europe and Asia.

According to the press release, Nortel GSM-R solu-tion for Eastern Railway is
designed to provide uniform transmission of voice and data for operation of the
train line.

This will include commu-nications between train con-ductors, on-board crew,
train dispatchers, station personnel and other operations groups, such as
shunting (attaching and separating rail cars).

The network will also man-age operational, mainte-nance, motor vehicle and
marshallingyard radio communications.

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New Delhi