RFS Technologies, an Amphenol Company Helps to Deliver Flexible 5G Connectivity for the Toronto Subway
RFS Technologies, an Amphenol Company Helps to Deliver Flexible 5G Connectivity for the Toronto Subway
Overview
“5G everywhere” is a universal ambition for governments worldwide, and Canada is no exception. With incentives such as an increase to the capital cost allowance to accelerate investment in longer-term initiatives such as 5G network infrastructure, Canada is looking to make big strides in 5G roll-outs over the coming years.
Part of Canada’s 5G ambition is to deploy 5G across transportation systems to deliver high-performance, high-reliability service to public transport users. RFS Technologies recently worked in collaboration with dedicated partners to supply RADIAFLEX radiating cable as the 5G connectivity backbone for mobile voice and data services in all stations and tunnels across Toronto’s subway system.
The Challenge
As a major multi-year project, it was essential that during the planning period, all parties collaborated to anticipate the major challenges of rolling out connectivity across the subway system and to design solutions that would ensure a smooth and speedy roll-out. These included:
Frequency needs
The deployment required equipment that could operate in frequency bands up to 4.2GHz. This differs from the 5G frequencies used by many countries across the globe and significantly limits the equipment options available.
Total coverage
Tunnels are a notoriously difficult environment to deliver complete coverage. As a consumer-facing network, the need for reliable, quality service is essential to the customer experience.
High Capacity
On weekdays, the Toronto subway sees an average daily ridership of 1 million. For the 5G service to be a success, it needs to have the bandwidth to cope with a high number of simultaneous users.
The Solution
To meet the customer needs, the team focused on the following key aspects to ensure RFS Technologies delivered a solution that aligned with the needs of the customer.
Specially designed cable
As the Toronto Subway deployment needed to utilize frequencies that are not commonly used around the globe, there were limited equipment options available. Radiating cable works like a long antenna allowing customers to achieve contoured coverage, particularly valuable across in-tunnel deployments. However, there was not an off-the-shelf option available to work in this scenario.
At RFS Technologies, we are known for providing a range of radiating cables in various diameters and frequency ranges. We were, therefore, able to work closely with the customer to create a tailored version of our radiating cable that precisely met the requirements for this project. This 1-1/4 inch radiating cable is only available through RFS Technologies as the exclusive North American supplier.
System design
Utilizing the 1-1/4 inch radiating cable, RFS Technologies was then able to design a system that works to solve a number of the potential deployment challenges:
1.No dead zones
The team at RFS Technologies has decades of experience in radiating cable systems design to provide complete coverage, especially in difficult tunnel environments. They have worked on some of the busiest subway projects in North America, including the Montreal and New York City subways, giving them a wealth of expertise in this space.
With a deep understanding of how the signal propagates and the physical obstacles that block it, the team was able to design a system that allows customers to have complete 5G coverage across the network.
- High Capacity
One of the major challenges of the system is the need to provide capacity for a vast number of consumers that expect high-performance reliable coverage. The system design was crucial to achieving this.
By using a Multiple Input Multiple Output (MIMO) system with two sets of cables in each tunnel, we were able to design a system with the throughput required. We conducted tests to optimize the system, making the best choices regarding polarization, MIMO vs. Single Input Single Output (SISO), and the number of cables per tunnel.
- Passive system
As a major infrastructure project, the longevity of the system is essential. Using a passive system that has a long life span and minimal maintenance requirements is ideal. In addition, passive infrastructure is typically more cost- and energy-efficient than its active counterparts, allowing quality infrastructure with a lower Total Cost of Ownership (TCO).
Meeting regulatory compliance
In addition to meeting the technical requirements for the project, RFS Technologies was also able to ensure compliance on regulatory issues, particularly around fire safety. The RLKX114-50JFLAB cable has a jacket that is halogen-free, non-corrosive, flame and fire retardant, and is low smoke. In the event of a fire, the cable would not itself become a hazard. This is essential in a tunnel environment to maintain the safety of emergency workers should the worst happen.
Forward Planning
Alongside meeting the current customer requirements, RFS Technologies has selected solutions that will allow the infrastructure to adapt and support future needs.
For example, the solution is operator agnostic. This means although this is a single operator deployment, there will be no issue for additional operators to utilize the infrastructure further down the line as requirements evolve.
The Result
RFS Technologies is providing more than 330 km of cable to serve all stations and tunnels across the Toronto subway network.
The project has been designed with longevity, performance, and cost in mind and will continue to serve Toronto subway users for decades to come, providing users with seamless and continuous 5G mobile and voice data connectivity no matter where they are.
“It is always so exciting to be involved with major infrastructure projects as the impact of the deployment is so clear. In this case, being able to assist our customer with various aspects; from supplying specially created cable for the Canadian market to a system design that will ensure it meets the needs of subway users in the city.”
-Ken Sponseller, Regional Sales Manager at RFS Technologies
