Development of a 15-year network strategy for the transport authority of a major European city

The problem

• The authority operated a multiservice telecoms network that supported voice, data, and CCTV services, and which provided connectivity for train radio communications in the underground rail network. This network was coming to the end of its useful life. During a previous assignment we had captured the ‘as-is’ situation of the different existing networks and contracts, including the risks associated with network equipment obsolescence. The authority next required an evolutionary transition plan and long-term strategy to maintain the existing services and upgrade to a future-proofed solution

The solution

• From the previous assignment’s baseline, we undertook three main tasks:
  • defined the key network evolution requirements of the strategy
  • compared the authority’s requirements with case studies of other telecoms network projects in the rail sector and other specialist users of operational telecoms
  • provided an assessment of telecoms network trends and market developments
• To finalise the strategy, we developed a comprehensive, parameterised cost model to analyse the total cost of ownership of different options and network evolution scenarios
  • after determining the key dimensions that influenced the future strategy, we qualitatively assessed 27 potential scenario combinations and agreed a shortlist of eight to compare using the cost model
  • network procurement and deployment plans were also developed and supplied

Figure: Project approach

The result

• We defined the optimum evolution scenario based on total cost of ownership, technology lifecycles, ease of operation and maintenance, compatibility with existing services and time to deploy. Our cost model was subsequently used to address budget constraints and modify the procurement strategy