OTN Systems Multiservice Communication Networks for Railways and Metros

OTN Systems designs, develops and markets dedicated fibre-optic communication networks for metros, light rail systems, people movers and railways worldwide.

The Open Transport Network (OTN) is based on the latest fibre-optic technology and offers you the most reliable, open and easy-to-use system available on the market.

Metro and rail backbone network

The OTN is a reliable multiservice communication backbone for telephony, public address, passenger information systems, GSM-R, ERTMS, CBTC, data, SCADA, LAN and CCTV that fully supports your operations. The OTN transmits all information between stations, trackside locations and the operations control room.

All applications can be connected directly to the broad range of interface cards, which are configured in the modular OTN nodes. In addition to Ethernet and IP-based applications, legacy applications (analogue and digital) can also connect easily to the OTN.

Modular node for easy maintenance

OTN nodes are 19in rack-mountable, and have a modular design so they can easily be adapted to the type and amount of interfaces to be connected. All vital components can be equipped redundantly for maximum availability. The modularity of the system also facilitates maintenance and system modifications or expansions.

High capacity fibre-optic communication system

The OTN nodes communicate with each other over a redundant optical fibre. This enables the transmission of a high bandwidth (e.g. 10Gb/s) over distances in excess of 100km. Furthermore, the optical fibre is immune to electromagnetic noise (EMC) caused by trains or trackside equipment.

Reliable bandwidth management

One of the unique features of the OTN is its capability to guarantee the availability of bandwidth to each application under all circumstances. To achieve this, bandwidth is provisioned for each network connection by OTN management software (OMS) during set-up. In this way bandwidth is allocated to each individual application so that it is always available, even in worst-case scenarios.

Video surveillance and recording solution

As the OTN is capable of providing a large, dedicated amount of bandwidth to specific applications, it is ideally suited for network-based video surveillance. More than 1,000 camera images can be transported simultaneously over the OTN for viewing or recording on a network video recorder (NVR). In this way the operations control room has a clear view of what happens in the stations and along the track.

Dependable and cost-effective rail communication network

The graphical user interface (GUI) of the OMS, the plug-and-play concept of the modular nodes and the advanced redundancy features ensure that the OTN is reliable and easy to use. This is why OTN users benefit from an extremely low total cost of ownership (TCO).

Secure rail communications network

The OTN provides unique features to prevent the propagation of incidents on the communication and automation network. As the OTN transports each application in a separate channel, interference from one application on another is avoided.

Adaptable, future-proof rail communications network

Telecommunication backbones for rail and transit systems have a life span of 10 to 15 years or more. Furthermore downtime for upgrades or updates has to be avoided. Therefore the design of the OTN ensures that it can adapt to new requirements and grow with the need for new applications, with limited or no downtime. To assist customers, OTN Systems also provides top-quality technical support for its products during their operational lifecycle.

It is OTN Systems’ mission to provide innovative OTN solutions of the highest quality and reliability, coupled with best-in-class customer support.

You can experience the OTN on major public transport systems around the world. Please contact us if you would like to visit an existing installation in your region.