30 June 2015, Shenzhen, China – ZTE Corporation (0763.HK / 000063.SZ), a major international provider of telecommunications, enterprise and consumer technology solutions for the Mobile Internet, has introduced its iRail solution at the 18th annual Africa Rail exhibition held in Johannesburg, South Africa from June 30 to July 1.

ZTE’s intelligent rail solution is a railway radio broadband communication solution based on cutting-edge LTE technology and provides broadband applications such as the passenger information service (PIS), digital advertisement solution (DAS), and patrol alarm system (PAS). 

ICT integration is a key development trend for future railway modernisation. At the Africa Rail Exhibition, ZTE demonstrated the railway application-based ICT integration solution, the iRail. By integrating cutting-edge technologies for railway communication, as well as innovative signal and information technology, this solution not only improves the efficiency of railway operation but also provides passengers with an improved experience, resulting in improved transport capacity, customer experience, and increased profitability for railway companies.  

ZTE is the first manufacturer in the industry to introduce LTE technology into the railway communication field and put it into commercial use. It is also unique in the industry, providing a multi-layer high-reliability global system for mobile communications – railway (GSM-R) solution that supports full system redundancy. ZTE’s LTE/GSM-R system supports multi-layer backup mechanisms, such as network-layer backup, link-layer backup, and board-layer backup, providing high reliability of a single device and avoiding single-point failures in the network, ensuring a reliable and smooth railway communication network.

By providing applications for different terminal types, such as LCDs, LEDs, and handsets, the DAS system can implement sophisticated advertising through multi-dimensional analysis based on user data and behavior. Using its years of experience in the railway transport industry, ZTE introduced the mobile office solution into subway operation and maintenance, and independently developed the PAS. 

Yang Jun, Vice President of ZTE, said: “We are very pleased to meet with our partners and peers at this event to have key industry discussions and exchange insights. We hope that ZTE’s iRail solution can be a step forward in the modernisation of railway transport in Africa, and can help railway companies provide more and better services to customers.”

ZTE entered the railway transport industry in 1999. To date, ZTE's railway transport solution has been successfully applied in railways and subways in many countries and areas, such as the Nigeria, Ethiopia, Morocco, Russia and Vietnam railways, and Hong Kong, Beijing, Shenzhen and Shanghai subways. ZTE’s urban transport solution has been widely applied in more than 100 projects within China and abroad, while its ground-to-air radio broadband coverage technology has covered major airlines in the United States. As a key industry in ZTE’s global service market, railway transport will play a more prominent role in the company’s future.