Microwave Journal
www.microwavejournal.com/articles/6728-andrew-wins-olympic-sprint

Andrew Wins Olympic Sprint

August 11, 2008

As the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing gets well into its first week, a new high speed train sprinting between Beijing and Tianjin in China is supporting super-fast wireless communications onboard thanks to Andrew, the CommScope Inc. division that is a global leader in communications systems and products.


Andrew and Siemens jointly designed an advanced wireless communications system for the CRH3 Harmony multiple unit trains, which were developed specifically for the Olympics and have maximum speeds of 350 km/h. The CRH3 trains began running on the Beijing-Tianjin high speed railway line on August 1, helping bring guests from all corners of the world to the Beijing Games.

Andrew installed and deployed MIR-T in-train repeaters in some compartments, which transmit and receive wireless signals to passenger handheld devices from existing base stations near the railways, providing passengers with high-quality and high-reliability mobile phone signals while they travel. The company also conducted extensive on-site testing and radio frequency measurements to confirm the system will meet passenger expectations. All those travelling the 120 km between Beijing and Tianjin can now pass the time on activities such as talking to friends or checking business email.

“We are honored to bring our technology and experience to one of the major local infrastructure projects of the Beijing Olympics,” said Matt Melester, vice president and general manager, Wireless Innovations, Andrew. “Providing reliable wireless signals in high speed trains is challenging because of diverse terrain and constantly changing signal levels, but Andrew boasts a rich history of successes in such projects worldwide. Andrew is proud to help in the rapid development of China’s rail transportation.”