Indian Railways, the largest railway network operator in Asia, has tied up with Nokia Siemens Networks for equipping the Kolkata metro line with Global System for Mobile Communications Railway (GSM-R) infrastructure.

This will further improve the safety and reliability of the Kolkata metro line while lowering operational costs for Indian Railways. Nokia Siemens Networks already supports Indian Railways’ extensive rail network spanning 3,500 km across four zones. As a result of this expansive GSM-R deployment, Nokia Siemens Networks has become India’s top GSM-R solutions provider.

As part of its GSM-R deployments, Nokia Siemens Networks is providing its compact, energy efficient Flexi Base Stations and Flexi Base Station Controllers that offer vastly improved capacity.

The company is supplying all operational components including switching centers, Intelligent Network (IN) platforms, service and management platforms, controller data transmission elements and mobile handsets for drivers. In addition, Nokia Siemens Networks is providing its In Building Solution to enhance indoor coverage for the Kolkata metro project. The scope covers care services that include spare part management, software maintenance, third party software support and training.

“Reliable railway communications is vital to address the increasing traffic density while ensuring better passenger services and safer operations. Nokia Siemens Networks’ GSM-R solution will help Indian Railways provide a better, safer service at reasonable operational costs,” said Sandeep Girotra, head of India Region at Nokia Siemens Networks. “Our GSM-R solution is complemented with skills, services, and staff paired with end to end support. As a pioneer of GSM-R technology, we look forward to bringing the latest in railway communications technology in India.”

GSM-R ensures a reliable network that allows seamless communications on board trains running at high speeds and in diverse terrains. Nokia Siemens Networks’ GSM-R core network components such as Railwayvantage core mobility servers are designed to address railways’ demanding reliability and growing capacity requirements.