Passengers on China’s new Hangzhou Metro Line 1 rapid transit system will enjoy a more comfortable and faster commute, enhanced by seamless and reliable public wireless communication services, which has been built on an advanced wireless coverage solution from Radio Frequency Systems (RFS).

Hangzhou Metro Line 1, which is scheduled to open to the public in October 2012, will link the city’s major political, cultural, commercial and tourist areas, as well as enabling rapid connections between inter-city express rails and intra-city metro lines. As one of the key municipal projects of Hangzhou city, it is being built under a tight delivery schedule and requires highly reliable support systems.

To ensure passengers have access to high-quality wireless communication services, China’s three main operators China Mobile, China Unicom and China Telecom have jointly invested in the development of a public wireless communication network. RFS won the wireless infrastructure contract based on its technical and service advantages, as well as the benefits of its RADIAFLEX® in-tunnel wireless coverage solution.

The RFS RADIAFLEX suite of radiating cables is designed to provide broadband wireless coverage for confined areas. Each cable features RFS’ patented higher order mode suppression technique in radiating cable design. This unique design allows RFS to offer cables that support current and future indoor commercial and private radio services from 698MHz to 2700MHz, including LTE, for valuable cost savings.

The broadband feature enables cables to work on different bands in one single coverage system, thereby supporting multiple carriers and multiple standards. Radio signals leaked from the apertures on the radiating cable’s outer conductor provide reliable wireless coverage for confined areas, like tunnels, ensuring that passengers on a rapid transit system can access the best quality wireless services.

"RFS has been committed to providing best-in-class wireless technology to China’s rail transportation industry and thus contributing to China’s economic and social development," said Alain Lejeune, CEO of RFS Asia.

"Winning this project confirms our leading-edge expertise and superior services in the field of in-tunnel wireless coverage. As a true telecommunications partner of the transportation industry, we hope to continue to contribute to the field as China’s informatisation drive accelerates."

"In addition, we will work to build even closer ties with China’s telecom operators and provide better support with our leading-edge indoor wireless coverage solutions, products and a range of technical services," added Robert Hsu, vice-president of Sales and Marketing for RFS Asia.

The 200km RFS in-tunnel wireless coverage solution for Hangzhou Metro Line 1 will be built on the RADIAFLEX RLKU158-50JFNA cable and operate in the GSM, CDMA, DCS, UMTS and LTE cellular radio standards.