The Société du Grand Paris (SGP), the state owned industrial company responsible for the Grand Paris Express metro project, has appointed Nokia to deploy a private 5G macro network across four new lines and 68 new stations in the French capital, covering 200 kilometres of track. The award is an extension of a private LTE deployment for SGP on the same metro project, started in early 2020, to deploy critical comms across three of the new lines.
The latest scope of work includes an IP-based multiprotocol label switching (IP/MPLS) solution to route traffic on the shortest (label-based) path over private wide-area networks. Nokia is providing RAN, core, and IP/MPLS. The multi-service IP/MPLS network will support operational and maintenance requirements; the private LTE/5G radio solution is designed for indoor and outdoor connectivity across all stations, lines, and depots.
The project is geared to bring “massive capacity, reliability, and performance” to boost SGP’s operations and safety, as well as its passenger “experience”. The metro is expected to carry two million passengers a day. The Grand Paris Express is the largest metro rail project in Europe. It includes the creation of four new lines (15, 16, 17, 18), the extension of one (14), the construction of 68 metro stations, and development of new urban centres around them.
A statement explained: “The… IP/MPLS communications network will operate as a… backbone that increases operational efficiency, enhances safety, and improves the passenger experience. High-speed communication between the centralised control centre and the automated stations, lines, and depots… is key to daily operations and maintenance, and an important component in realising SGP’s cybersecurity strategy.
“With real-time video surveillance inside the trains, centralised operations teams can quickly identify and flag issues and threats, accelerate response times and assure greater safety overall for passengers, emergency response teams, and employees. For travellers, the new communications system promises superior levels of service, with intuitive ticketing and enhanced updates regarding passenger information.”
Matthieu Bourguignon, vice president for enterprise sales in Europe at Nokia, commented: “These projects provide critical high-speed connectivity and performance at all points within the new Grand Paris metro and its operations, giving SGP the highest levels of confidence in its end-to-end Nokia network. We are incredibly proud to be… part of this ambitious project to digitally transform one of Europe’s largest rail systems.”
