A lack of a common integrated radio communications platform hampered the local authorities in Cape Town prior to 1996.
“The need for a centralised communications infrastructure that linked all of the local authorities became ever more pressing when the smaller municipalities were first incorporated into the six Local Authorities and the Cape Metropolitan Council and then, in 2001, amalgamated into one Metropolitan Municipality, the City of Cape Town,” says the City of Cape Town’s radio systems manager, Thomas Bosman.
The Cape Metropolitan Council issued a tender for the design and implementation of a radio trunking infrastructure and after evaluation it was awarded to Altech Alcom Matomo. However, due to budgetary constraints the project was not implemented for the next three years. In the interim, technology advanced from the original APCO 25 analogue radio trunking technology to the current ETSI (European Telecommunications Standards Industry) TETRA (Terrestrial Trunked Radio) technology which was accepted as the European standard for public safety radio communications.
“This caused a dilemma for us when our project and funding were eventually approved, as we did not want to be saddled with outdated technology, but nor could we tolerate the delays associated with another tender process,” explains Bosman. “Altech Alcom Matomo solved both our problems when they agreed to supply the new ETSI TETRA technology at the same tender price for the APCO 25 infrastructure they had originally quote on.
“The scope of the original tender called for Altech Alcom Matomo to manage and deliver a turnkey project including the sourcing and supply of 30 S1 radios, a number of masts and 18 complete repeater stations. In addition, as the systems integrator, we required them to install and commission the centralised control room in Bellville, undertake the installation of all equipment and software, commission the sites and conduct acceptance testing prior to handover to the City of Cape Town.
“In order to meet the needs of our emergency services as well as municipal functions such as electricity, water, waste and parks, the original system was designed to cater for some 5000 subscribers. However, in 2001, when the six local authorities and the Cape Metropolitan Council were amalgamated into the City of Cape Town, this requirement grew and the system had to be upgraded to provide a wider reach. A further tender was issued for the upgrade and to install a dedicated microwave infrastructure for secure links to the repeater sites. Altech Alcom Matomo was successful and we once again turned to this team to provide the solution,” says Bosman.
The Motorola radio trunking network that was designed and installed during the first phase of the project was done in a way that allowed easy upgrade using multiple vendor radios operating on its backbone. “The expansion was therefore no problem,” elaborates Bosman. “It allowed us to shop around for best practice solutions, which is extremely important considering we issue annual tenders for the supply of new radios that comply with the ETSI TETRA standard.”
Challenges
“No project is without challenges and perhaps the most daunting for the City was securing the funding to implement this integrated radio trunking system. However, once we overcame that, we were then faced with a number of less intimidating, but equally important concerns,” says Bosman. “For instance, we discovered that obtaining the necessary permission from landowners to place the various masts was a logistical nightmare. It would have been much better for us if we had let Altech Alcom Matomo handle these issues as well.”
Subsequently, the City of Cape Town signed a high-level support agreement with Altech Alcom Matomo and Motorola giving them the responsibility for the maintenance of the City’s entire radio communications infrastructure. The City relies on the expertise of the team to ensure that all technical issues are expedited quickly and efficiently allowing it to boast an excellent 99,9% availability.
Bosman concludes: “We currently cater for 10 000 subscribers, a testament to the reliability and versatility of this radio system.”
Altech Alcom Matomo’s company profile can be viewed at: http://www.instrumentation.co.za/news.aspx?pklnewsid=36624
For more information contact Deon de Villiers, Altech Alcom Matomo, +27 (0)21 417 1800, ddevilliers@alcom.co.za, www.alcommatomo.co.za
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