This solution has been developed by Orange and NTT DATA using the telco’s 5G SA network
Spanish state-owned railway infrastructure manager ADIF is using local carrier Orange’s 5G SA network, together with Artificial Intelligence (AI) to improve the experience of travelers, facilitating intelligent mobility in a railway station.
This solution, which has been developed by Orange and NTT DATA using the telco’s 5G SA network, provides information on train departure and arrival times, service occupancy levels of the station, waiting times for services such as baggage control, opening and closing times of establishments and incidents, among others.
Orange noted that the application allows the proper planning of routes, measures real-time occupancy of the station and its spaces and generate estimates of the time for travelers to go to the platform, with enough time in advance to enjoy the station’s leisure and entertainment offering. Thus, having information on the flow of station spaces, it is possible to avoid those with high occupancy and recalculate the route time, the telco said.
“This innovative solution makes it possible to optimally guide the traveler in the station in real time – taking into account its accessibility characteristics – to access the train and the station services. Likewise, it promotes interaction with the traveler, who can add stops to their route, which the solution will recalculate in real time, providing new times to access the train. If the stop is not possible because the train departure time is very close, the traveler receives an alert notice,” Orange said.
To develop the project, NTT DATA has used various technologies, managed by a cloud computing platform, Orange added.
A total of twelve high-resolution cameras have been installed in the main concourse, the platforms, the underpass and the upper walkway of the train station, which are capable of counting the number of people in each focused area in real time. In addition, the information they provide is analyzed by AI techniques.
“For precise indoor positioning, digital twins have been developed, complemented by an advanced processing engine powered by data obtained from a network of devices made up of more than one hundred radio frequency beacons, based on Bluetooth technology that, aided by Inertial mobile and geomagnetism sensors achieve high quality and precision location,” the telco said.
Orange previously said that its 5G SA network reached 38 Spanish cities as of the end of the third quarter. Orange’s 5G SA network was initially launched in Madrid, Barcelona, Bilbao, Valencia and Seville. It currently reaches other important cities such as Alicante, Castellon, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Palma de Mallorca, Tenerife, Valladolid and Zaragoza.
Orange noted that the coverage of 5G SA in these initial cities reaches nearly 80%.
Ericsson, Nokia and Oracle Communications are the main providers of Orange’s 5G SA network.
Last month, Orange and Ericsson signed an agreement to offer B2B customers in Spain the opportunity to deploy their own private 5G networks.
The partners noted that the introduction of private 5G networks for the B2B sector offers benefits including real-time automation, improved productivity and enhanced worker safety, among others.
The new private networks will be supported by Ericsson’s dual-mode 5G Core which supports the Orange 5G SA network deployed across the country, along with some dedicated network functions such as Ericsson’s Local Packet Gateway deployed in B2B customer premises.
