Outcomes, Insights and Best Practices from IIC Testbeds: LTE for Metro Testbed
run video streams at 160km/hour without
frame freezing. In addition, the high-
bandwidth, open spectrum allows a single
cell to support uploads of six high-definition
video streams.
The Huawei OpenLab has played a pivotal
role in integrating these aspects by providing
simulations of actual services.
In terms of logistics, it is difficult to negotiate
with an end user metro system to find a time
slot for the field test. A metro system does
not typically leave much time for a test given
its ongoing operations day-to-day.
Traditionally, operators use proprietary
technology that is very difficult to operate.
The testbed confirms that operators can use
LTE technology and still comply with the
global 3GPP standards. End users are
therefore able to avoid potential vendor
lock-in issues.
Another challenge arises due to the large
number of service systems in the metro field.
Interconnecting these systems within a
traditional metro environment is a
tremendous work load and demands the
necessary technology and expertise.
At 2019’s Global Public Transport Summit in
Stockholm, the testbed demonstrated the
feasibility of adapting LTE to the urban rail
industry, exemplifying how LTE provides
operators a benchmark and technical choice
for future urban rail construction. An
international LTE for metro ecosystem
would provide an effective reference for
urban rail owners throughout the world to
evolve to the next-generation train-to-
ground
wireless
communications
technology.
Looking to promising prospects for the
testbed, many metro operators in China are
starting to adopt LTE related technologies
defined by CAMET. The testbed team also
hopes to engage with global customers by
sharing the testbed platform through the IIC.
Through their activities, the testbed team
has learned that if there is no standard
between different systems, a large
interoperability workload is required. The
team hopes the testbed will be used to build
and influence globally unified standards and
reduce the cost of using and promoting new
technologies.
The LTE for Metro Testbed team has
encountered some challenges in their
testbed journey, however. The first
challenge came from gathering a team
comprised of different backgrounds; the
testbed needs ICT engineers, OT engineers
and also field experts. The main challenge is
managing the contributors under one team,
understanding
the
many
different
perspectives and developing a common
understanding of the issues at stake. While
horizontal technology and OT engineers
discuss the technology, the end user
participants may be focusing on services;
and bridging these two areas is no easy task.
IIC Journal of Innovation
E XPERIENCE
Participating in the IIC Testbed Program
enabled the LTE for Metro Testbed team to
set up benchmark projects throughout the
testbed. The testbed is able to help metro
customers implement digital transformation
through a path of communication network
evolvement, bringing service systems to the
cloud and making the best use of data on the
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