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Balfour Beatty Rail Lowers Costs of Construction With 3G Wireless
Cisco High-Performance 3G WAN Interface on Integrated Services Routers Helps Balfour Beatty Rail Quickly Establish a High-Speed Network Connection at Construction Sites
| Source: Cisco Systems, Inc.
MUNICH, GERMANY--(Marketwire - January 30, 2008) - Cisco® (NASDAQ : CSCO ) today announced
that Balfour Beatty Rail GmbH Germany is using third-generation wireless
technology incorporated into the Cisco Integrated Services Routers (ISRs)
to help improve the productivity and efficiency of its engineers by
reducing the time it takes to establish a communications infrastructure at
remote construction sites. Balfour Beatty Rail is using integrated
third-generation (3G) wireless technology from Cisco to rapidly deploy
networked information technology (IT) systems, which helps engineers access
online information and services that are critical for the effective
completion of rail projects.
Balfour Beatty Rail designs, constructs and revamps railway infrastructures
throughout Germany, Austria, China, Romania and other selected countries
and relies on IT systems to complete projects efficiently and effectively.
Today's electric trains require a system that supplies electric power to
railway power units along the complete length of track, presenting a unique
challenge for establishing communication operations. Cisco third-generation
wireless WAN high-speed interface card (HWIC) on the Cisco ISR provides
Internet connectivity using terrestrial cellular technology, so a wireless
wide-area network can be established to the site router in a matter of
hours as long as the site is within range of a cellular tower.
"Balfour Beatty Rail is in a tight margin business and we are continually
looking at ways of reducing the costs of our operations," said Ali Inci,
Balfour Rail's manager of information and communications technology. "Much
of our construction projects take place in remote areas where obtaining a
wired Internet connection is a lengthy and expensive process. By
integrating the 3G technology into the ISR, Cisco allows us to ship the
network access equipment in the same container as the construction
equipment and have communications up and running on-site in a matter of
hours where previously it would have taken months."
The Cisco solution also helps Balfour Beatty Rail GmbH increase its
operational efficiency by supporting fast, easy communication between
headquarters and the remote sites. Project managers use the 3G network to
send and receive critical communications and documents that help them
maintain timetables. With more than 80 projects ongoing, keeping workers on
schedule and construction moving along the rails is critical.
"For businesses with remote work sites, establishing a communications
infrastructure quickly and efficiently is essential for maintaining
business continuity and completing projects successfully," said Richard
Roberts, director of business development, Cisco. "The 3G HWIC card helps
give businesses the flexibility to set up communications in a fraction of
the time required to install a wired connection, allowing them to access
critical IT systems and maintain business operations should their wired
connection be compromised."
The Cisco 3G HWIC, coupled with a Cisco Integrated Services Router and a
service provider wireless data plan, provides a cost-effective, reliable
solution with industry-leading security for remote sites and branch
offices. Cisco 3G HWICs are supported on the Cisco 1841 and 1861 Integrated
Services Routers, Cisco 2800 Series Integrated Services Routers, and Cisco
3800 Series Integrated Services Routers.
Balfour Beatty Rail GmbH is now using 3G for all its sites in Germany,
either as a primary or a backup connection. A Cisco SMARTnet® agreement
helps Balfour Beatty Rail GmbH maintain business continuity by providing
equipment replacement the next business day if required.
About Balfour Beatty
Balfour Beatty Rail GmbH headquartered in Munich, Germany employs a total
of 1100 staff worldwide. Further details can be found at
http://www.bbrail.de.
About Cisco
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how people connect, communicate and collaborate. Information about Cisco
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