DMR  |  2017-11-30

Leonardo Notches Order in Belgium for PMR Communications

Source: The Critical Communications Review | Gert Jan Wolf editor

TranzCom and Leonardo will supply the Flemish public transport company ‘De Lijn’ with an advanced new Digital Mobile Radio (DMR) network and on board equipment for more than 4000 trams and buses.

The Flemish transport company De Lijn has awarded a contract to Brussels-based company TranzCom S.A. which, in collaboration with Leonardo, will update the network and on-board communications equipment on De Lijn’s fleet of more than 4,000 trams and buses in the North of Belgium.

The new system will be the biggest Digital Mobile Radio (DMR) network ever implemented in Europe’s public transport market. It will be based on regional multisite simulcast trunking technology, including more than 160 base stations and more than 4,000 radio modems. The system will be smoothly migrated from the current analogue trunking network to DMR Tier III technology. High reliability and optimised frequency usage will be ensured by the employment of simulcast technology, a key factor behind the success of Leonardo’s systems worldwide. The new on-board equipment will manage data and voice communication over DMR through the Tranzcom’s DMRCab on-board module.

Transporting over 520 million passengers a year and spanning five provinces, De Lijn is one of the largest public transport companies in Belgium. The company manages all urban, suburban and intercity buses in Flanders, the coastal tram system in Belgium and the tramway in Antwerp and Ghent.