Norwegian railway communications on track with Nokia Siemens Networks

Espoo, Finland, 20-year agreement for complete Care services assures high performance on Norway’s GSM-Railways network

The Norwegian National Rail Administration (Jernbaneverket) and Nokia Siemens Networks have signed a 20-year support agreement for the complete maintenance of the country’s railway communications network.

The contract which includes hardware services, spare-parts management, software support and upgrades will provide Norway’s rail system with a high-performance, always-on communications system. It follows Nokia Siemens Networks’ implementation of a new digital GSM-Railways (GSM-R) mobile network.

In operation for more than a year now, the GSM-R solution delivered by Nokia Siemens Networks has increased traffic safety for Norwegian trains by ensuring seamless communication for employees along the length and breadth of the country’s railway tracks. An integrated digital radio communication system for voice and data, GSM-R is based on well-proven GSM mobile technology and specified as a dedicated mobile communication system for railway operations.

With a service package optimally targeted to the demands of Jernbaneverket, Nokia Siemens Networks ensures that Jernbaneverket is able to provide high-quality GSM-R service to its users. The Care services are performed by dedicated service specialists at the Nokia Siemens Networks Care Center. Among the services included are ticket handling, third line incident processing and troubleshooting, software maintenance and exchange and repair of defective network components. By the provision of this dedicated operational service, Jernbaneverket benefits from minimized network downtime and data loss, reduces its operating costs (OPEX) and maintains a high-quality network.

“The service contract with Nokia Siemens Networks was a natural succession to the turn key delivery of our GSM-R network so that we could sustain superior service from such a complex network. A complete Care support package offered by Nokia Siemens Networks secures high availability and a one stop shop for all maintenance and support needs of the network,” said Ørjan Berg Johansen, Operations Manager, Norwegian National Rail Administration.

“A comprehensive service package such as ours allows railway operators to hand over network availability and quality issues to us, while enabling them to concentrate on their core business. Given our experience in GSM-R deployments across the world, we at Nokia Siemens Networks are tuned to the service requirements typical to such complex networks and are fully capable of meeting them. What’s more, we ensure we keep the railway operators’ operational costs low and competitiveness high”, added Terje Hoemsnes, head of safety and transportation in the Nordic and Baltic countries, Nokia Siemens Networks.

With over 20,000 service specialists, Nokia Siemens Networks is one of the largest and most experienced communications service companies for telecommunications operators worldwide. The Care services business alone handles more than 650,000 repair cases and 250,000 fault tickets every year across the multi-vendor networks we maintain. An extensive set of repair services ensures quick repair and replacement of hardware.

Nokia Siemens Networks is one of the inventors of the GSM-R technology, with Siemens researching and creating the GSM-R standard in the early 1990s. To date, the company has deployed more than 20 GSM-R networks in 15 countries serving some 50.000 km of railways, making it the world’s No. 1 GSM-R vendor in both the number of commercial networks and the length of operated GSM-R lines.

About The Norwegian National Rail Administration (Jernbaneverket)

Jernbaneverket (the Norwegian National Rail Administration) is the Norwegian national railway authority. Jernbaneverket is responsible for the management of the national railway network, on behalf of the Ministry of Transport and Communication.
www.jernbaneverket.no/english/

Nokia Siemens Networks is a leading global enabler of telecommunications services. With its focus on innovation and sustainability, the company provides a complete portfolio of mobile, fixed and converged network technology, as well as professional services including consultancy and systems integration, deployment, maintenance and managed services. It is one of the largest telecommunications hardware, software and professional services companies in the world. Operating in 150 countries, its headquarters are in Espoo, Finland.
www.nokiasiemensnetworks.com

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