Cobham Wireless has completed construction of a public safety communications system for the 5.4 kilometer Eurasia Tunnel, the first undersea road tunnel to connect two continents.
The customized solution reportedly incorporates Cobham Wireless’ Digital Channel Selective Repeaters (D-CSR) and Band Selective Repeaters (BSR), and supports ultra-high frequency (UHF), very high frequency (VHF), digital mobile radio (DMR), and FM technologies. This ensures that emergency services and operational teams can communicate at all times throughout the tunnel.
In addition to both internal and interdepartmental communications, the deployment also features a break-in system, allowing operational teams to access the FM channel and alert drivers to safety issues via their in-car FM radios. The system includes two master sites (one active, one redundant), each containing one VHF repeater for communication between ambulance services, and one UHF repeater each for police, fire, and DMR/AFAD (Istanbul’s Disaster and Emergency Management Authority) communication.
The sites include one combiner and one Optical Master Unit (OMUII), and sit at either end of the tunnel, with one site providing essential back-up coverage. The master sites are connected via fiber to multiple remote sites, providing communications at any point throughout the tunnel. The entire system can be overseen and controlled off-site, using Cobham Wireless’ Active Element Manager (AEM).
Cobham Wireless was awarded the contract in September 2016 and worked with systems integration partner Yapı İDİS to install the system. The deployment was completed in just three months and delivered in time for the official inauguration ceremony in December. The Eurasia Tunnel is now open to the public 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
Keysight Technologies Inc. announced a collaboration with Qualcomm to use its suite of design and test tools to support chipset development for next-generation cellular devices.
Keysight’s new 5G network emulation solutions portfolio, supported by Keysight’s new UXM 5G wireless test platform, will enable Qualcomm to validate the chipset technology and the higher-layer protocols needed for 5G. Keysight’s scalable solutions support sub-6 GHz and mmWave, which will reportedly give Qualcomm Technologies insights into the performance of its ICs and overcome potential challenges that may surface in 5G trials.
“As 3GPP accelerates the 5G NR non-standalone specification, Keysight is excited to collaborate with Qualcomm Technologies and help them with their 5G program’s protocol and RF workflows,” Satish Dhanasekaran, Keysight’s vice president and general manager of Wireless Test, commented. “Our software and hardware platforms provide scalability and capability needed to support 5G design and test from initial requirements to final standards.”
The Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA), an association representing the manufacturers and suppliers of high-tech networks, has named Wes Johnston its new chief executive officer. Johnston comes to TIA with more than 25 years of experience leading and transforming technology and telecom businesses. Most recently, he was the managing director for technology, media, and telecommunications (TMT) at The Gores Group, a global private equity firm.
“I was drawn to TIA because its members play critical roles in supplying the innovative equipment and services that enable network connectivity,” Johnston said. “The tremendous footprint of these members makes this an exciting opportunity, as TIA adapts to a shifting policy landscape and rapid technological changes. There couldn’t be a more important time for TIA to be aligned with its member needs and focused on accelerating business opportunities and innovation.”
The selection of Johnston is part of a broader strategic initiative by TIA to invest in, and stay ahead of, the changing needs of members and rapid industry advancements. In addition to his hiring, TIA recently enhanced its leadership team, adding four senior executives with deep communications industry, government, and association experience.
Telit, a global enabler of the Internet of Things (IoT), introduced its new LE940A9 smart module, which the company claims is the industry’s first automotive-grade module to support LTE Advanced Category 9 (Cat 9) networks.
The LE940A9, the latest addition to Telit’s popular xE940 family of automotive-grade modules, powers the entire connected car platform through the delivery of 450 Mbps download and 50 Mbps upload speeds with extremely low latency and advanced security. The series also offers three multi-band, multi-mode variants, including Voice-over-LTE (VoLTE), and is optimized for automobile manufacturers to deploy next generation connected car technology across world markets.
The module can run in-vehicle applications inside a secure processing environment from the built-in application processor, storage, and memory. Automotive application programs can run entirely and securely on the module itself protected by advanced cyber-security capabilities. The module includes 3GPP Release 11, LTE-Advanced with Carrier Aggregation (3xCA) support, and 3G/2G fallback in an operating temperature range of -40°C to 85°C.
Taoglas, a provider of automotive, IoT, and GNSS antenna products, has launched Axiom, a reference design for a low-profile, compact multiple-antenna solution for the next generation of connected cars.
Taoglas said the design has integrated nine antennas, including
- Four LTE antennas, each operating from 698 MHz to 6 GHz to fully cover LTE worldwide application bands.
- Two Wi-Fi elements, supporting both 2.4G Hz and 5.8 GHz bands for Wireless Local Area Network.
- An active GNSS element to support GPS, Glonass, and Beidou navigation systems. L1/L2 options available.
- One SDARS element to support satellite radio applications.
- One DSRC element, which supports V2V/V2X dedicated short range communication.
The reference design will reportedly help automobile manufacturers overcome one of the biggest challenges of the connected car: where and how to place the multitude of antennas needed for maximum performance.
The Axiom reference design uses a compact PCB with SMT-mounted components, and also incorporates a unique board-to-board connector option, allowing the antennas and electronics systems to coexist in a single space inside the vehicle, with no RF cables or additional connectors required. The Axiom reference design also helps auto manufacturers simplify manufacturing and assembly, with surface-mount solutions that feature the temperature and vibration resistance with the quality standards that manufacturers require. Installation entails simply clipping the PCB into the telematics board.
Filed Under: Devices
