National Roads Telecommunications Services (NRTS) Project

AMG Systems has been contracted to supply its new innovative fibre optic transmission system, the AMG3700, to the NRTS project - a single national approach to the future communications network on England’s motorway and trunk network that is managed and maintained by the Highways Agency.

It follows AMG’s breakthrough announcement in 2006, launching the world’s first fibre optic transmission system to integrate Ethernet with high quality uncompressed video. AMG’s new patented technology has now been chosen for transmission of uncompressed digital video for 1,000 initial camera locations on England’s highways, together with the distribution of IP signals to each roadside camera location on the same dual fibre optical network.

The AMG3700 transmission equipment has been subcontracted by Alcatel-Lucent, who are telecoms design authority to the Fluorheaded NRTS consortium, named GeneSYS. GeneSYS was awarded the National Roads Telecommunications Services (NRTS) project by the Highways Agency in September 2005.

The project will provide a national digital system linking more than 14,000 roadside devices, including message signs and emergency telephones, and up to 4,000 cameras and traffic monitoring systems to the Highway Agency’s network of traffic control centres.

Whilst primarily designed to provide a road safety monitoring system, NRTS will also give drivers real time travel information to plan their journeys, and create safer roads, thanks to the nationwide distribution of CCTV footage to travel information and navigation companies. “We’re extremely proud that our newly developed 3700 series has been chosen for the NRTS project’, comments Alan Hayes, MD of AMG Systems. “Our scope is to deliver the 3700 series for collecting one video and distributing Ethernet at each location, with a single fibre daisy chaining between each camera. Initially, 1,000 camera sites are involved but the contract includes the option to expand the network to up to 4,000 camera locations over the next 10 years’.

AMG Systems is subcontracted by Alcatel-Lucent, the global telecoms solution provider acting as telecoms design agency for GeneSYS, a consortium of Fluor and HSBC. Fluor, one of the world’s largest publicly owned engineering, construction and maintenance services organisations, has brought together a team that includes Alcatel- Lucent, Mott McDonald and Peek Traffic.

Alcatel-Lucent provides communications solutions to telecommunication carriers, Internet service providers and enterprises for delivery of voice, data and video applications to their customers or employees. Alcatel-Lucent brings its leading position in fixed and mobile broadband networks, applications and services, to help its partners and customers build a user-centric broadband world.

With sales of £13.1 billion and 58,000 employees in 2005, Alcatel-Lucent operates in more than 130 countries. For more information, visit Alcatel-Lucent on the Internet: www.alcatel-lucent.com

“After having tested the new 3700 series, we have found it to be an ideal solution to the demands the NRTS system raises for simultaneous transmission of full bandwidth CCTV as well as IP to the roadside points”, said Alcatel Lucent Telecom’s Purchasing Manager, Geoff Johnston. “AMG has a very flexible approach and we’re looking forward to working with the company on this huge project over the next few years”

• A low cost single system providing both IP and uncompressed video transmission to each camera location.
• A highly resilient network with built in dual redundancy and self-healing capability in case of fibre breakage
• Low fibre usage -a single fibre daisy chain architecture is employed.
• SNMP compatible Network Management System for interrogation and monitoring of system performance.
• Easy future expansion