Marconi has announced the installation of the first Marconi microwave radios in SA for one of the country`s largest telecommunications operators, Transtel.
The radio link includes a long-haul Marconi Digital Radio System (MDRS) microwave radio system operating in 8GHz from the Isando communications building to Sundra, while the other system is short-haul linking Cape Town, from the Paul Sauer building, to Kanonkop in the 13GHz range. Both radio links have been in full operation since 8 February, after acceptance tests went over without fault.
Marconi SA deployed the system under a frame contract with Transtel for the supply, installation and commissioning of Synchronous Digital Hierarchy (SDH) technology and all related software and management systems. The value of the complete project including the equipment installation, commissioning and training is R2.6 million.
The use of Marconi`s SDH microwave radio system technology will allow Transtel to significantly improve the management of its national telecommunications network. It provides for high economic efficiency, rapid implementation without costly cable installation, as well as very high levels of system availability (better than 99.99%).
The MDRS equipment came preinstalled in racks from Germany, allowing Marconi to implement the local service part in only two weeks, including all the related acceptance tests. MDRS is a point-to-point wireless system for short-haul or long-haul applications, delivering bandwidths for access, feeder and back-haul applications.
SDH technology is used for synchronous data transmission through optical fibres. The US equivalent is Synchronous Optical Network (SONET). Both technologies provide faster and less expensive network interconnection than conventional PDH (Plesiochronous Digital Hierarchy) equipment.
"In digital telephone transmission, synchronous implies that the bits from a single call are carried within one transmission frame," explains George Debbo, Marconi SA`s technical director. "Plesiochronous, on the other hand, means pseudo or almost synchronous, meaning that a call must be extracted from more than one transmission frame."
SDH multiplexers are already installed in the Transtel network and are controlled by Marconi`s ServiceOn Access management system. This software solution allows for efficient network management. When a fault is detected, ServiceOn Access signals an alarm and automatically re-routes the traffic (be it voice, data or otherwise) to avoid service disruption. The fault alarms are routed directly to the person accountable for that section of the network and from there the fault is immediately forwarded via e-mail, fax or SMS to the nearest technician, along with comprehensive instructions for rectification of the fault. This maintains the integrity and reliability of network service levels. The new radios are also managed by this system.
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