Belden is part of a team collaborating on the award-winning PlayRenfe project, managed by Telefónica, to enable "open television" on high-speed trains operated by Spain's national railway network, Renfe. The new WLAN and Wi-Fi service, an innovative program nominated for the 2017 IBC award, will provide Renfe's 19 million passengers with access to multimedia content.
Colway, Belden's local partner, will supply cables, connectors, and switches over the next four years. This will include more than 1,100 units of its renowned OS30 Octopus switches. Because the rolling stock comes from three different manufacturers, Belden has had to adapt the system to suit the characteristics of the various trains. "It's very exciting to be involved in this pioneering project," says Richard Weatherburn, marketing director for Belden's transportation vertical. "Each train presents unique requirements. Furthermore, while the end application is a passenger information system, as an industrial application, the requirements for safety, robustness, and long lifespan were very demanding.".
Belden's industrial products have been used in trains for years, and their proven performance is one of the reasons they were selected for this project. According to Telefónica, with its long track record and extensive experience in solutions for the rail sector, Belden was the obvious choice, given the high reliability of its products. Belden has extensive knowledge and long experience in the rail market, so Telefónica could fully trust its ability to offer a comprehensive solution that met the requirements for minimal maintenance and extended service life.
Certification plays a crucial role in component quality, and Belden's industrial products are ideally suited to meet the demands of the high-speed rail environment, which presents challenges such as heat and vibration. For example, Belden's Rail-Tuff Ethernet data cables, approved for the rail industry, incorporate a special coating to reduce the risk of melting in the event of a fire.
Another decisive factor in securing the contract was that Belden's local supplier, Colway, held CINP (Certified Industrial Network Provider) certification. This certification verifies that Colway's technicians have received training on Belden's Hirschmann high-availability networks. The accreditation increases customer confidence in the system's quality and also provides an extended warranty.
