In a multimillion-rand contract, Spescom is providing the complete equipment and software solution to enable Spoornet to record and centrally monitor the verbal train-movement authorisations between regional control centres and train drivers country-wide.
Spescom is a market-leading provider of voice-recording and communications solutions, with an impressive record of installations for major rail service providers both in SA and overseas. The recent project for Spoornet, which involves some 40 sites nationwide, represents a successful combination of Spescom's abilities and experience.
Derrick Marais, senior engineer at Spoornet, explains the importance of the project, which is managed and co-ordinated by senior engineer Japie van den Berg: "For Spoornet, this represents an investment of several million rand in technology aimed at improving safety standards. It provides the latest techniques for recording of verbal authorisations to train drivers at all points in our national network, thereby enhancing our ability to ensure safe movement of trains.
"Proper monitoring and control of the communications between control centres and drivers is a prerequisite for maintaining high safety levels. It allows proactive task evaluation of the authorisation procedures, identification of possible shortcomings and the implementation of corrective measures. The Spescom solution allows this to be achieved in a system which requires minimal human intervention and operates at high security levels."
Factors involved in Spescom being awarded this major tender were a combination of meeting Spoornet's requirements to the greatest degree in the most cost-effective manner, with equipment requiring minimal maintenance inputs, and with less costly upgrade paths. The fact that Spescom offers a locally developed product with reputable support services, was another deciding factor.
Andrew Condon, Spescom DataVoice commercial manager, says: "Adapting our DataVoice technology for use with radio, rather than the more usual telecoms systems, was just one of the challenges.
"In collaboration with the University of Stellenbosch and Transnet's own telecoms division, Transtel, we were able to integrate a variety of radio transmission technologies into a single system that channels all the communications through local hubs, simultaneously storing the messages for later reference.
"The system also archives all messages, which provides important knowledge resources for Spoornet when projects to upgrade operations are being planned."
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Spescom Limited is an information and communications technology company listed on the JSE Securities Exchange SA, with operations in the US, UK and SA.
The group is active in two main areas of the world IT market, namely offering product and solutions to connect to the networked economy, and the provision of software solutions to manage information and knowledge.
The strategic focus is on the convergence of knowledge, document, configuration and voice transaction management technologies.
Spescom DataVoice is a wholly owned subsidiary of Spescom Limited and is dedicated to the development and global marketing of its DataVoice products in the area of capture, management and recreation of live data.
Spescom holds the controlling interest in US-based Spescom Software Inc (formerly Altris Software Inc), a Nasdaq-, OTCBB-listed company, and developer of the award-winning eB software.
In SA, Spescom, in alliance with world-leading companies such as Cisco and Avaya, provides a range of customer contact and intelligent network solutions to its blue-chip customer base. The company is a leading supplier of communications solutions and products to network operators and service providers on the African continent.
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