Radio Frequency Systems (RFS), the global wireless and broadcast infrastructure specialist, is the telecommunications partner of the transportation industry featuring field-proven innovations spanning in-tunnel, in-building, and outdoor wireless coverage solutions for the transportation market, including turnkey solutions for optimized communications.
For over 35 years, RFS has been providing solutions for the world’s metros, railways, road tunnels and underground mines. Today, RFS provides the most advanced active, passive and hybrid RF distribution systems for in-tunnel coverage, railway station coverage and outdoor track-side rail coverage.
Radiating cables and indoor antennas
RFS’s best-in-class communications technology for the transportation market includes the broadest range of RADIAFLEX® radiating cables with superior performances, the ClearFill fibre-optic extension and distributed antenna suite, plus unrivalled point-of-interface technology, which are expertly scaled to match every indoor coverage need for 2G, 3G, and 4G commercial radio services as well as TETRA and GSM-R mission-critical wireless services in the 400MHz, 700MHz, 800MHz, 850MHz, 900MHz, 1,700MHz, 1,800MHz, 1,900MHz, 2,100MHz, 2,400MHz and 2,600MHz bands.
Radiating cables for tunnels
RFS’s leading-edge technology for radiating cables enables low-insertion loss and excellent coupling performance, ideal for tunnels, by providing maximum useful lengths of individual cable runs, to minimise the total count of active equipment, thus allowing cost savings. Halogen-free, non-corrosive, low-smoke, flame-retardant jacket material contributes to safe and long-term reliable operation in tunnels.
The RFS RADIAFLEX radiating cable suite provides best-fit solutions for a variety of applications, including single-band and multi-band / multi-operator systems. Different cable types are available, with optimised performance accounting for project-specific in-tunnel installation methods and cable positioning options.
For example, RFS offers RF ultra-wideband radiating cables with no-stop band from 700MHz to 2,700MHz. They accommodate all current and future commercial radio and private radio services from 700MHz to 2700MHz in tunnels, including LTE, providing valuable cost savings. This ultra broadband characteristic is the result of RFS’ patented ‘higher order mode suppression technique’ in radiating cable design.
Furthermore, RFS offers a wide range of standard and heavy-duty installation accessories (hangers and clamps), specifically designed for easy cable attachment and orientation on tunnel walls, withstanding harsh environment conditions (pressure and wind load, resulting from high-speed train movement).
Wireless in-tunnel communications systems integrator services
In July 2010, RFS announced that it had been selected as systems integrator for the terrestrial trunked radio (TETRA) wireless communications system along the Beijing Metro Changping Line in China. The contract, valued at approximately 30 million Chinese yuan (€3.5m), is RFS’s second systems integration win for an in-tunnel wireless communications project for the Beijing Metro. In 2009, RFS successfully designed and integrated the TETRA wireless communications system for the Beijing Metro Line 4.
RFS won the Changping Line contract over both local and global competitors due to its strong technical design and service capabilities and its first-rate reputation. RFS will provide a complete TETRA wireless communications system and related services, including coverage design, delivery of TETRA digital radio communications system and related equipments, site surveys, supervision, system commissioning and acceptance, as well as project and documentation management.
The tunnel coverage designs are based on RFS’s RADIAFLEX radiating cables, supported by a wide range of passive and active technologies, including TETRA fibre optic repeater systems, antennas and accessories, to meet precise coverage, traffic and route requirements. Similar solutions leveraging RFS products and expertise have already been proven in the Beijing Metro Line 4 and other metro lines in China.
By incorporating cutting-edge, fail-safe technology and a redundant design, RFS’s wireless in-tunnel solutions offer the highest availability on the market and the ability to upgrade and expand to meet future requirements.