Siemens, Ondas Team Up for Wireless Communications Systems

Siemens wayside and mobile communication solutions aim to enable railroads to leverage their extensive investment in spectrum and physical infrastructure while meeting stringent demands for high reliability, low latency, availability and security. Photo via: https://new.siemens.com/

Siemens Mobility has entered into an exclusive partnership with Ondas Networks, a developer of private-licensed wireless data networks for mission-critical industrial markets, to bring a Siemens-branded portfolio of its wireless radio communication systems to the North American Rail Market.

Ondas’ MC-IoT architecture is “designed to provide railroads with wireless networks that are built specifically for mission-critical use and meet stringent demands for low latency, high reliability, availability and security.”

The portfolio will feature “new radios that are interoperable with Siemens Mobility’s extensive installed base of Advanced Train Control System (ATCS) radios. Importantly, the new radios will be MC-IoT capable, ensuring the railroads are ready to embrace future advanced train control, signaling, crossing and monitoring applications. The new ATCS radios for both base station and wayside are expected to be in the market within the year and will play a key role in building up rail’s intelligent infrastructure of the future.”

The North American private rail network consists of 140,000 miles of track, 25,000 locomotives, 1.6 million railcars and 200,000 highway crossings. A significant portion of the communications infrastructure is more than 20 years old and requires an upgrade to support the technology required for the automated railroad of the future.

“These new ATCS radios will provide the railroads with a seamless migration path to build up this intelligent infrastructure,” said Marc Buncher, CEO, Siemens Mobility for North America. “The full complement of radio products that we can offer, through our partnership with Ondas, will enable our customers to further leverage the extensive investments that they have already made in the RF spectrum and in their communications infrastructure.”

“Siemens Mobility is an ideal partner to accelerate the adoption of our wireless technology in the North American Railroad market,” stated Eric Brock, CEO, Ondas Networks. “Siemens Mobility is a world-renowned leader and innovator in transportation with the reach and support systems to truly drive our technology to wide scale acceptance. Our technology has enormous potential in the North American Railroad market and we’re very excited about the future we see with this partnership.”