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Company | Customer References

Liverpool City Region Combined Authority

IoT-ready network infrastructure supports mission-critical applications, improving traveller experience and operational efficiency.

  • Country: United Kingdom
  • Industry: Transportation
  • Solution: Harsh Environments, Digital Age Networking, Harsh Environments

Liverpool City Region Combined Authority (LCRCA) - the combined authority of the Liverpool City region - has devolved power and strategic responsibility for the transport, economic development and regeneration of an area of 1.6 million people.

Working together with its constituent authorities and the local enterprise partnership, LCRCA delivers investments that have a real impact on local communities, in areas as diverse as transport, employment, culture, digital and housing.

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A flexible, resilient and reliable network infrastructure is critical to ensuring that the Liverpool City Region can run its services efficiently, on a 24-hour basis, 365 days a year. The consolidation of networks has allowed us to maximise the return on our investment while underpinning the provision of diverse services to the region’s public.
Ian Hawkins, Head of IT

Challenges

The authority’s aging network infrastructure was at the end of its operational life, out of manufacturer support and unable to support new applications. It was becoming increasingly difficult to introduce much-needed new technologies to the network. This included support for mission-critical Internet of Things (IoT), such as CCTV, traffic management systems, fire and smoke detection, and SCADA (supervisory control and data acquisition control system) in the road tunnels; as well as toll services like Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) and Intercom System integration. Additionally, the new system needed to be future-proofed to support ongoing development plans.

The entire transformation process needed to be completed while ensuring continuity of service both for operators and customers; especially for mission-critical systems like operational control, emergency roadside telephones in tunnels, back office communications, ticketing, public address and traveller information.

Action

The ALE team worked closely with LCRCA’s IT team and key stakeholders for more than 18 months to understand all the requirements and roadmap, allowing them to design an optimal and innovative network solution and demonstrate how the ALE infrastructure would support existing and future applications and developments.

The resulting solution was able to accommodate the authority’s future aspirations, including ship-to-shore communications and connectivity for river ferries, new cloud application support and smart ticketing expansion for public transport.

Results

Technical benefits

  • Simplified operations thanks to a mixture of enterprise and ruggedised equipment with Shortest Path Bridging (SPB) at the core

Financial benefits

  • High return on investment (ROI) and lower Total Cost of Ownership (TCO), while delivering a world-class, multiservice, mission-critical network within a predefined budget

User experience benefits

  • Increased operational efficiencies from a single management platform, allowing the IT core team to easily deploy, manage, and maintain the network
  • Enhanced traveller experience - from smart ticketing to concessionary card production

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