NJ TRANSIT and PowerTrunk pilot First TETRA LMR Network in the US
NJ TRANSIT and PowerTrunk Pilot the First TETRA LMR Network in the United States
Landmark pilot demonstrates PowerTrunk’s TETRA capabilities
New York City, NY — January 5, 2011 – NJ TRANSIT and PowerTrunk, Inc. have launched a TETRA land mobile radio network (LMR) pilot in Newark, New Jersey. This is the first TETRA pilot hosted in the United States. PowerTrunk TETRA networks are operational throughout the world; the NJ TRANSIT pilot demonstrates the viability of PowerTrunk’s TETRA technology in the United States.
The pilot consists of a two-site network which includes PowerTrunk-T base stations, mobiles, hand portables, a line dispatcher and a switch to integrate a legacy VHF system. In addition, the network is integrated with an existing CAD system and a PowerTrunk PABX/PSTN gateway allows full duplex cellular-like communications between cell or public switched phones and PowerTrunk radios. The pilot operates on a combination of a leased T-1 line and a private optical fiber backbone with routers configured for Ethernet Layer 2 Tunneling Protocol (L2TP) required by PowerTrunk-T infrastructure equipment.
“It is important that NJ TRANSIT conduct technical due diligence on available digital LMR (D-LMR) systems as we move closer to finalizing functional specifications to replace our aging analog LMR system,” said NJ TRANSIT Director of Radio Communications, Andrew Schwartz. “We must ensure the technology we ultimately acquire through a competitive process is scalable, maintainable, and supports a rich set of features to address current and future Intelligent Transportation System (ITS) applications, including robust data capabilities.”
NJ TRANSIT has already piloted other D-LMR systems and is now exploring the available features and functions of TETRA, a D-LMR standard used around the world for other advanced transit applications.
“We chose to pilot PowerTrunk’s TETRA LMR because of their leadership in bringing TETRA to the U.S., their success in winning FCC type-acceptance for their equipment under Part 90, and their track record of successful transit LMR deployments. To date, results have been positive. We have used the PowerTrunk-T system alongside our legacy LMR system without any interference issues,” Schwartz added.
“PowerTrunk’s specialized transportation-ready TETRA equipment is operational in some of the largest train, subway and bus systems around the globe. Our transportation customers include the STC Subway in Mexico City, the second most populous metropolitan area in the world,” said Jose Martin, Chief Operating Officer of PowerTrunk. “We are honored that NJ TRANSIT chose to host the first U.S. TETRA pilot with us.”
Contact
NJ TRANSIT contact Public Information?973.491.7078
PowerTrunk, Inc. Contact: Yvonne Brown ?627.489.9666ybrown@powertrunk.com