C. Mer Industries Ltd. (TASE: CMER) has announced that it is the winner of the NIS 22 million Israel Railways tender for establishing a communications system for the tunnels and bridges on the high-speed electric railway line currently under construction between Tel Aviv and Jerusalem. C. Mer will build a network to provide continuous cellular and emergency communications in the 22 kilometers of tunnels and bridges on the railway section between Latrun and Jerusalem. The network will include the Haooma station at the end of the line, which will be built 80 meters underground and will include four passenger platforms. C. Mer will also provide maintenance services for the communications network for the next 10 years.
C. Mer CEO Nir Lempert said, "The infrastructure for the tunnels on the high-speed railway to Jerusalem is the first of its kind in Israel. It is essential for the railway's operation and it continuous communications, including cellular communications." C. Mer is a global Israeli company located in Holon that has 1,200 employees worldwide. The group develops, produces, markets, and installs technological solutions in telecommunications, cyberspace, big data, smart cities, intelligence, homeland security, and emergency communications. The company also designs and builds broadband infrastructure for its customers. The company's customers include communications operators and government, municipal, and security agencies, mainly in Latin America, Africa, and Israel.
The communications network that C. Mer will build for Israel Railways will serve the communications needs of emergency and security agencies. For the first time in Israel, it will provide cellular connectivity for all the cellular providers when trains are moving inside the tunnels. Deployment of the network will begin in the third quarter of 2017 and is slated for completion in the first quarter of 2018, following the completion of a 1.5-kilometer pilot with two tunnels by C. Mer for the purpose of testing the network. In order to facilitate continuous cellular connectivity for the thousands of passengers on the route, C. Mer will install an 80-kilometer radiating cable constituting an antenna on the entire route. The cable will include broadcasting equipment working on advanced technology on a range of frequencies of cellular companies and emergency agencies.
"Israel Railways is in the advanced stages of work for operating the high-speed railway between Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, with a travel time of only 30 minutes," Israel Railways' management stated. "This is the company's flagship project, which is expected to revolutionize transportation between the two largest metropolises in the country. The project is very complex, with 22 kilometers of track being laid on bridges and within railway tunnels, including a pair of the longest tunnels in Israel. Nevertheless, when the line is in operation, Israel Railways will provide its customers with cellular connectivity and wireless Internet at no cost over the entire route and at the underground railway station."
The company's share price was up 3.09% in afternoon trading on the TASE.
Published by Globes [online], Israel Business News - www.globes-online.com - on February 7, 2017
© Copyright of Globes Publisher Itonut (1983) Ltd. 2017