Vietnam Railways Deploys RAD Voice and Data Multiservice Access Solution

Vietnam Railways has selected the Multiservice Access Platform (MAP) from RAD Data Communications to provide voice and data services over an existing SDH backbone at Vietnam’s eight busiest rail stations. Wholly owned by the Vietnamese government, Vietnam Railways maintains a communication network that is supported by the Army Telecom’s SDH backbone.

The MAP solution that is being deployed by Vietnam Railways is based on RAD’s Megaplex-2100 modular integrated access multiplexer and DXC-8R multiservice access node. MAP is designed to speed return on investment in access network equipment and facilitate the rollout of a variety of services.

The MAP equipment, which will initially transmit timetables and ticketing information as well as voice services to Vietnam’s railway stations, can eventually be used to cater to multimedia services as well. “MAP will enable Vietnam Railways to incrementally deploy a wide range of additional services over its access network, such as videoconferencing,” explains Namson Tran, Managing Director of Proactive Communication Solutions (PCS), RAD’s distributor in Vietnam.

As the Vietnamese telecommunications market is opened to competition, MAP’s flexibility and range will allow Vietnam Railways to offer alternative telephony services over its existing SDH infrastructure. “This, together with the proven reliability of the equipment, was the crucial consideration in opting for the RAD solution,” Tran adds, “given that the modernization of the country’s communications networks is an integral element in Vietnam’s ongoing program to improve living conditions throughout the country.”

The central rail stations that will be interconnected through RAD’s MAP solution are located in the capital, Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Da Nang, Nha Trang, Hue, Vinh, Thanh Hua and Dong Hoi. Between them, they serve hundreds of thousands of passengers every day.

Ho Chi Minh City-based PCS will open a branch office later this year in Hanoi to broaden its proactive customer support. “Army Telecom is considered a difficult market to penetrate because it demands the highest technical standards from communications equipment vendors and the highest level of service from RAD, PCS and our local partner,” Tran concludes.