Gautrain speeding to the finish line with telecoms
solution from Bytes Communication Systems
 In
order to meet its voice technology requirements,
Bombela, the company tasked with the deployment of the
Gautrain Rapid Rail Link has turned to an enterprise
telephony solution from Bytes Communication Systems.
The system will provide operational telecommunication
services between the 11 stations, depots and sites of
the eagerly awaited Gautrain, as well as providing a
crucial link between the stations and the control
centre, for the more than 600 anticipated users. The
main system will be hosted at the Gautrain’s main site
in Midrand.
When going out to tender to find a solution to meet its
needs, Bombela insisted on a list of unbending
requirements. These included full stability, 100%
availability, and redundancy, that fell in line with the
stringent safety requirements mapped out by the
railways. The technology deployed has to be reliable, as
any potential downtime could yield serious repercussions
for the railway network.
According to Bytes Communication Systems the system will
be wall-to-wall Alcatel Lucent technology including a
voice installation, telephone management solutions, as
well as integration with the Gautrain’s voice, public
address and emergency telephones. That said, Bytes
Communication Systems has partnered with third party
supplier Ninzi Connect to provide the voice logging
system.
“Bytes Communication Systems was selected amidst steep
competition in the industry, as we were the one company
whose technology supported the exact requirements laid
out by Bombela in its tender documents,” says Kenneth
Ellwood, at Bytes Communication Systems. “The most
critical component in our mind, of this project, is the
availability and uptime of the system. We know through
experience of using the Alcatel Lucent technology that
it will meet and exceed these expectations.”
Technology used will include the Alcatel Lucent OmniPCX
enterprise with dual CPU’s for all of the 11 sites and
the more than 600 users who will ultimately be linked
via the system. Project roll out has already begun at
the main site in Midrand, with final completion being
earmarked for 2010, when the railway system itself will
be completed.
Bytes Communication Systems will be required to provide
installation and implementation services as well as
factory acceptance testing, and ongoing maintenance and
support of the system. According to the company it will
also be providing training for the Gautrain staff to be
able to manage and support the system themselves in
time.
|
