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Company | Customer References

Transit Wireless

Transit Wireless provides connectivity for the New York City subway through a large fiber network spanning 4 boroughs and 276 subway stations.

  • Country: United States Of America
  • Industry: Transportation
  • Solution: Autonomous Network

Business Partner: Myriad Supply Company, LLC 

As an industry leader in cellular, Wi-Fi, co-location facility and fiber network infrastructure design and development, Transit Wireless continuously delivers innovative solutions that expand and improve communications for public and private applications. Following the success of the New York City Subway project, Transit Wireless became a recipient of industry firm IDC's Smart City North America Award.

Transit Wireless had heard about the reliability of the OmniSwitch 6855 and was satisfied that the switch’s passive cooling mechanism could withstand scorching temperatures. In addition, the company was convinced by the port density and aggregate throughput capabilities.

Transit Wireless - Logo
Thanks to the Alcatel-Lucent Enterprise solution, more than 330,000 users access free Wi-Fi in the New York subway every day. We’re always moving the technological needle forward and have plans to increase bandwidth and quality, while monetizing the network. ALE USA is proactive in proposing new products that will help us achieve these goals. We look forward to continued cooperation and mutual success.
Thomas McCarthy, Director of Network Operations, Transit Wireless

Transit Wireless Customer Video

Challenges

  • The new network switches had to handle intense traffic density and work reliably in the harsh underground environment.
  • All switches are housed in protective enclosures where the temperature can reach 70°C.
  • The solution had to work seamlessly with the existing multi-vendor network.
  • With network-dependent initiatives on the horizon, such as new HD information displays, Transit Wireless needed scalability and flexibility.

Results

Technical

  • The passive cooling, fan-less design makes the OmniSwitch 6855 very reliable despite the harsh environment; a critical benefit given the switch’s importance.
  • All traffic in and out of the subway station passes through the OmniSwitch 6855.
  • Over 330,000 users per day can connect to the Wi-Fi thanks to high throughput (including 10Gig uplinks), great port density and excellent traffic management.
  • Open standards support has proven essential in Transit Wireless’ heterogeneous multi-vendor environment.
  • The expandable network will support new growth initiatives like the upcoming 802.11ac rollout and the implementation of new HD displays and safety points.

Financial

  • Savings are achieved thanks to support for link aggregation that provides options for simpler, more cost effective deployment.
  • The quality of Wi-Fi services is an important selling point for partners and advertisers, representing a significant future revenue opportunity.

User Experience

  • Subway passengers benefit from cellular, Wi-Fi, and E911 services across all of New York’s stations.
  • Owing to the network’s reliability, users enjoy added services from partner companies.
  • For example, Penguin Books’ “Subway Reads” program offered free e-books, delivered on the subway platform, for transit users.

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