GROUPE EUROTUNNEL : Successful launch of mobile telephone and internet services in the Channel Tunnel in time for the London 2012 Olympic Games 25/07/2012
07/25/2012| 03:39am US/Eastern
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25 July 2012
Successful launch of mobile telephone and internet services
in the Channel Tunnel in time for the London 2012 Olympic
Games
Passengers will now be able to telephone and connect to the
internet inside the Channel Tunnel
Eurotunnel and the French mobile telephone operators,
Bouygues Telecom, Orange and SFR have today, as planned,
brought into service a GSM-P optical fibre system for 2G (GSM
900, DCS1800) and
3G (UMTS 2100) telephone and internet services, which will
enable passengers of Le Shuttle and high speed trains to use
their mobiles to make calls and access the internet inside
the Channel Tunnel. This
project, piloted by the equipment supplier Alcatel-Lucent is
the outcome of successful cooperation by the
French telecoms operators Orange, SFR and Bouygues
Telecomi.
The use of cutting edge technology developed by
Alcatel-Lucent and the telecoms operators has seen several
technical achievements. To be able to supply a wireless
service, 100 metres below sea level, to the 20 million
passengers who travel the 53 km through the Channel Tunnel
each year necessitated the resolution of a number of
challenges. The equipment has been installed in 10 months, a
record breaking period; the work was achieved whilst
operating a full railway service in the Tunnel; the confined
environment required the application of strict standards and
the specific nature of the Shuttles had to be addressed to
ensure the appropriate level of transmission. At the same
time, the technical teams had to ensure that the different
radio systems (GSM-P and GSM-R) would both work inside the
Tunnel.
With all these challenges met, Eurotunnel is now able to
provide a new service to its customers, whether they are
travelling by Shuttle or by Eurostar, and once again prove
its commitment to innovation.
The French operators will provide an extension of their 2G/3G
network coverage in the South Rail Tunnel (France-UK traffic)
using a leaky feeder cable for transmission, with optical
repeaters installed every 750 metres. The North Rail Tunnel
(UK-France traffic) will be covered by British telecoms
operators after the Olympics.
Jacques Gounon, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of
Groupe Eurotunnel SA, stated: "Eurotunnel is
proud to be able regularly to improve the services we offer
to our customers through major technological innovation, this
time based on the expertise of Alcatel-Lucent."
Pascal Homsy, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of
Alcatel-Lucent France, stated: "As a result of
this collaboration with Eurotunnel, and which has used many
of the different technical skills we have at Alcatel-Lucent,
we are very proud to have contributed to the provision of new
communication services on board the trains in the Channel
Tunnel."
i Free will join the group later.
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