When Sweden’s national rail operator Banverket moved all traffic, including critical GSM-R and signaling communications, onto a single, converged IP/MPLS infrastructure supplied by Alcatel-Lucent (News - Alert), they were committed to IP transformation.

 

And it paid off.

 

Banverket runs all rail transportation systems in Sweden – all conventional rail, underground and light rail systems countrywide used for freight and passengers. They also manage the national transmission network for all communications relating to rail traffic.

 

In 2007, the organization selected Alcatel-Lucent to lead the transformation of its communications infrastructure and today are managing critical data and services communications with high availability and security over a single, converged next generation IP network.

 

“The performance of the Alcatel-Lucent 7705 SAR exceeded our expectations for robust and accurate Ethernet synchronization required for all of our safety-critical network communications,” said Bengt Vidin, deputy head of operations.

 

The problem was Banverket had complex network with various technologies and all the usual difficulty supporting newer, higher bandwidth applications and services. They had “end of life” and replacement issues for older or discontinued products and the need to reduce operating expenses.

 

As part of their IP transformation, the rail service decided to upgrade of the rail communications systems to create a single, unified and secure network capable of transporting all traffic, including GSM-R, voice, video and data traffic. Today they have an all-IP 10-gigabit national network with carrier class Ethernet reliability, stability and scalability, a converged IP/MPLS infrastructure and a powerful common management platform consisting of element, network and service management tools as well as a service portal for further simplification of network modifications and viewing.

 

The IP transformation resulted in a vastly simplified network operation and management through a single, easy-to-use interface, giving the rail operator the ability to progressively and reliably migrate all traffic from several legacy networks to a much simpler and cost-optimized MPLS platform.

 

The firm also has a carrier-grade Ethernet that meets or exceeds ITU-T requirements (including G.8261/8262 and G.823/824/825), as well as new revenue-generating opportunities by selling excess capacity to enterprises, ISPs and cable operators in Sweden.

“The IP network is a significant step forward and enables Banverket to support various IP-based applications including GSMR, CCTV, SCADA, LLPA, CIS, and others,” Alcatel-Lucent officials say, adding that in addition, Banverket is “well-positioned to increase its bandwidth resale.”