Steam > diesel > digital: the next railway revolution
A technological transformation is taking place across the UK’s rail network. As discussed in this article on the Network Rail website, a new ‘Digital Railway’ strategy has officially been launched, taking one of the UK’s most iconic forms of transport into a new era. Both trains themselves and the tracks they run on are increasingly being controlled by digital technology, from upgrades from old analogue signals, to digital control of the trains themselves on the likes of the new Crossrail line. As the chief executive of Network Rail has said, this is the biggest technological revolution on the railways since the transition from steam to diesel in the 1960s.
- Published in Transportation
Critical communications for the transport sector; MEGATRANS2018
The date is fast approaching for international expo and plenary MEGATRANS2018; held at the Melbourne Convention Centre from the 10th to the 12th of May.
MEGATRANS2018 is a key event within the Australian and international supply chain sector, bringing together those who plan, implement and control the efficient, effective forward flow and storage of goods, services and related information from product inception to the end user.
- Published in Events
Get smart: visit us at UTC 2018
UTC 2018 is coming up at the beginning of May in Palm Springs, California, with the usual mix of workshops, technical education sessions and summits from thought leaders throughout the utilities industry. Simoco Wireless Solutions is exhibiting, and we can’t wait to share our mission-critical communications solutions with decision makers and delegates across the sector.
- Published in Events
All mapped out: how we plan our communications networks
How do you create a radio communications network? All projects begin with the same foundational building block: a careful understanding of radio frequency, or RF propagation.
Simply put, RF propagation is about predicting the pathway that radio waves will take across the terrain or environment in question – whether that environment is as small as an office or as big as a country. It’s about establishing where those waves are likely to be disrupted or distorted, whether because of obstacles, environmental features, building materials or rugged terrain – and then finding ways of working around those disruptions, to ensure a powerful and reliable signal throughout. If you want to end up with comprehensive and resilient coverage (which is, of course, our guarantee on every project), then you need to begin with a thorough RF propagation phase.
- Published in Professional Mobile Radio
Staying on top of standards
Careful readers of the business pages might have noticed this story in recent weeks: the news that SoftBank, the Japanese mobile technology giant has backed what looks like a bid to create a new mobile network in the UK.
As industry insiders point out, the bid is unlikely to be a serious threat to the country’s four main mobile operators – Vodafone, O2, Three and EE – but it does shed light on a crucial auction due to take place in the coming weeks. Ofcom is releasing more airwaves in a so-called ‘spectrum auction’, for which six companies are registered to bid. As the above article explains, ‘the auction will include 40 MHz of 2.3 GHz band, which is already supported by existing devices, and 150 MHz of 3.4 GHz band which will allow 5G to be rolled out.’
- Published in LTE
Placing communications infrastructure at the heart of oil and gas production
With news that the USA is ‘forging ahead with a plans to boost oil and gas exports’, the country is set to become the world’s biggest oil producer this year.
The sudden jump in production has been largely driven by the process of hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, whereby pressured liquids are used to extract oil and gas from shale rocks.
- Published in Utilities
Preparing for International Wireless Communications Expo (IWCE) 2018
The countdown is on to the International Wireless Communications Expo (IWCE) 2018, which takes place from March 5th to 9th in Orlando, Florida. We’re looking forward to packing up our exhibition materials and travelling out to the Sunshine State – especially as we have a raft of exciting new technologies to share with delegates.
- Published in Events
Weathering the storm: How to ensure your communications infrastructure can combat all conditions
Winter 2017/18 has seen some extremely challenging weather condition; from heavy snowfall cutting off Alpine ski resorts and generating avalanche warnings, to storm after storm battering both Europe and the US.
But what does this mean from a critical communications perspective?
- Published in Managed Services
What’s your emergency? Complications and delays with the Emergency Services Network (ESN)
The Emergency Services Network (ESN) is an ongoing project to create a truly next-generation communications system for the UK’s police, fire and rescue, and ambulance services. It’s going to be a unified, integrated Long-Term Evolution (LTE) network that can carry critical data applications and broadband services as well as voice communications, and will be more resilient, reliable and secure than the current, disparate networks. It will enable the three emergency services to communicate and collaborate with each other, ultimately working more effectively and saving more lives. In short, it is intended to carry the UK’s emergency services into the future.
- Published in LTE
Critical communications: what does 2018 hold?
January is a month for fresh starts, and looking to the year ahead. With this in mind what will the coming twelve months hold for the world of critical communications? Here are our key ideas…
- Published in Unified Communications