INTRODUCTION
Projects don’t come bigger or more challenging than the Kazakhstan-China Pipeline (KCP): delivering state of the art radio technology in one the world’s most remote location in largely dessert conditions. So when Radio communications specialist Simoco Wireless Solutions was asked to look at how best to address the challenge it became clear that convention could not be the convention in this case.
Key to success was interpreting requirements, understanding the principles of propagation and access to ground-breaking technology.
Judy Xu, Simoco Business Development Manager China takes up the story. “Initially the customer believed that only a digital TETRA solution could meet their exacting requirements. But when our engineers looked at the problem they quickly recognised the advantages of analogue propagation in this case.”
Neil Yeoman, project engineer responsible for the solution design, explained, “From a propagation perspective, pipelines are fundamentally different to normal radio environments, because coverage is required over very long distances but within 100 meters either side of the actual pipeline. Experience told us we could significantly reduce infrastructure by deploying an analogue propagating solution.” All very well, except the customer was firmly convinced that the latest digital technology was essential!
That’s were Simoco’s revolutionary new digital Xfin Multi Site system fitted the bill. Allying digital IP technology to an analogue propagating base station engine Xfin is the only MPT1327 system capable of competing with the functionality of digital standards such as TETRA or P25.
What’s more the integrated IP switching functionality inherent to Xfin enabled cost effective resilience throughout the network, crucial given the Health and Safety issues of pipeline working.
The combination of industry leading functionality together with the innovative project approach proved a winner with both Alcatel and KCP. In totality the project constitutes 19 site multi-site Xfin systems’ intrinsically safe portables and vehicle mobiles. Each site comprises a three, four or five channel Xfin solution linked over an IP backbone network deployed throughout the 1,000 kilometre pipeline linking Atasu in central Kazakhstan with Alashanku in western China.
Commenting on the solution Alcatel Project Manger, Klaus Stocker, stated, “We were extremely impressed by the capability of the Xfin system. The Simoco Wireless solution was clearly superior in terms functionality and value.”
The KCP project demonstrates Simoco’s strength as a solutions provider. Success lay as much in our planning and engineering capability as in our superior Xfin technology. Never-the–less the project offers further evidence of Xfin’s capability in critical and challenging environments.
MIKE NORFIELD, SIMOCO CHAIR
Whatever mission critical voice solution was agreed upon, it was seen as desirable to have a path in the future to high bandwidth LTE applications like video, workforce scheduling and push-to-talk over cellular. The new radio system needed to be the foundation for a new critical communications ecosystem, not just a shinier version of what was already in place.
