Huawei Wi-Fi Network Upgrades Quito Transit

Background

Quito Mass Transit Needed Help

In Quito, Ecuador, the major city-run transit company known as EPMTPQ* operates and manages almost all the capital city’s public transportation vehicles, including buses, trams, and trolley buses. More than half of the city’s population of 2 million use the agency’s vehicles every day.

Quito’s commuters strongly demanded Wi-Fi network access while traveling anywhere in the city. In September 2016, EPMTPQ decided to upgrade the IT technology on its vehicles and lines to improve passenger satisfaction and enhance the quality of public services. The goal was to provide passengers with free Wi-Fi network access and implement video security and emergency communication for its vehicles.

Challenges

Find the Best Solution

To verify the feasibility of Wi-Fi network deployment, EPMTPQ conducted thorough research. Results showed that deployment of Wi-Fi networks for vehicles faced the following challenges:

Solution

Agency Chose Huawei

The transit agency chose Huawei’s innovative WLAN backhaul solution, which was specifically designed for vehicle-ground backhaul in the transportation industry. The solution boasts the following highlights that effectively solved EPMTPQ’s problems:

‘Soft Switching ’ Ensures High Bandwidth, Low Delay, and Multi-User Concurrency

Huawei’s backhaul solution uses ‘soft switching’ technology that improves uplink bandwidth and reduces delay:

WLAN Planning Tool Reduces Interference

Good Wi-Fi networks require sound network planning. Huawei provides a WLAN planning tool that covers a variety of environments such as station platforms, and elevated, straight, and winding roads. Using this tool, users can establish transmission models based on WLAN characteristics, perform calibration for scenario-specific transmission models, and accurately estimate AP deployment distance. Huawei’s WLAN planning tool is also able to obtain network rates based on cell-edge signal strength, thus matching the required bandwidth. This greatly improves network construction efficiency and reduces construction costs.

Vehicle-Mounted, Dual-5G AP Provides High-Density Coverage

Huawei’s AP9131DN, tailored for vehicle-mounted scenarios, complies with the 802.11ac standard and provides a maximum rate of 1.75 Gbit/s. The AP9131DN meets waterproof and fireproof requirements and uses industrial anti-vibration M12 sockets.

Dual-plane Backup Delivers High Reliability

Wireless signal interference caused by roadside greenbelts and residential buildings adversely impacts WLAN system stability. To solve this problem, Huawei uses the A + B plane solution that deploys backhaul APs on both the front and back of vehicles. Under normal circumstances, the AP in front establishes connections with roadside APs and provides uplinks. Link status is monitored using a rapid inspection protocol. If link quality declines, the uplinks are immediately switched to the AP on the rear of the vehicle. This improves network stability and reliability, even in scenarios with obstacles and interference.

Benefits

For bus operators and passengers:

Today, bus Wi-Fi — with Huawei technology — is booming throughout the world. Continuously innovative operation and service capabilities and new business models will make bus Wi-Fi even more powerful. Services such as user behavior data analysis, and pushing of location-based business information and applications in Smart Cities will be available in the near future. Bus Wi-Fi will bring tremendous, positive changes to both global bus companies and people’s commutes.

Just ask the people in Quito.

* Empresa Pública Metropolitana de Transporte de Pasajeros de Quito (Quito Metropolitan Public Transit Company)