KAZAKHSTAN: National railway KTZ has signed an agreement with Hytera Communications and BT Signal to develop a centre of competence for broadband railway communications systems.
This is intended to help accelerate the introduction of future-proof communication systems to the Kazakh rail network. It will provide a platform for specialists from KTZ, Hytera and BT Signal to exchange technical expertise and experience, agree programmes for project implementation and develop the necessary regulatory and technical documentation.
KTZ Chief Engineer Batyr Kotyrev, told a recent UIC seminar in Astana that the railway planned to start a research project in 2023 looking into the prospects for introducing new standards for radio communication for railways in the Asia-Pacific region.
Hytera Director Song Xiaolei outlined proposals for the introduction of FRMCS on the Kazakh railway, suggesting that the framework agreement could see the development of ‘a convergent network’ bringing together 4G and 5G services from different carriers and KTZ’s existing TETRA system. This would provide unified and future-proof railway dispatching and communication services, secure redundancy, and transmit signal & control data. The venture would also be well-placed ‘to explore and lead the next-generation railway communication evolution’.
‘The competence centre will act as a key driver to accelerate the digitalisation of KTZ and we are proud to be a part of it’, added Ivan Wang, Country Manager of Hytera Kazakhstan.
