ActewAGL, Australia
ActewAGL, Australia’s first multi-utility, offers electricity, natural gas, water and wastewater services under one roof. The ActewAGL radio network supports voice and data communications for electrical, water and wastewater services.
“The transition to a TaitNet system utilising the ActionNet/TaitNet gateway allowed ActewAGL and other customers on the network to retain their full functionality without a protracted service interruption.The TaitNet system has also provided ActewAGL with more functionality than was previously available, and ActewAGL is now actively exploring that functionality to see how internal business processes can be improved, and how the delivery of services to our customers can be optimised.”
John BarrigaChief Information Officer
ActewAGL
The Customer
ActewAGL, Australia’s first multi-utility, offers electricity, natural gas, water and wastewater services under one roof. The ActewAGL radio network supports voice and data communications for electrical, water and wastewater services. In addition, ActewAGL use and manage their own radio network with 1,100 subscribers within a number of large, small and mini fleets using the full range of call types including multi-site group and inter-fleet calls.
The Challenge
ActewAGL was faced with several issues to overcome when it explored upgrading its radio network and it needed to replace its outdated equipment with a radio system that would be supported for the life of the network.
ActewAGL was operating on a Nokia ActionNet MPT 1327, which is no longer supported by Nokia and could not be maintained as spare parts were not available. A core criterion for the upgrade was a migration path from the ActionNet system to a new system, which would maintain service for the fleets of existing MPT 1327 terminals operating on the ActewAGL network.
The brief from ActewAGL was to seamlessly upgrade from the Nokia ActionNet MPT 1327, while ensuring all maintenance staff were fully trained for future operations and to provide full support for the product life cycle.
The Solution
Tait was the only solution provider who could offer a migration path from the Nokia ActionNet system to an upgraded MPT 1327 system. Tait was able to provide ActewAGL with a solution, which meant they could retain full operation of their existing fleets when upgrading without having to reprogram or replace any terminals.
Tait delivered an eight-site TaitNet MPT 1327 radio network, which uses the 400 MHz band, which comprises of two geographically diverse nodes and six base station sites). The system offers ActewAGL cost effective infrastructure, which allows voice and data messaging on the same system and efficient two-way radio communications over a large geographic area. In addition, the solution includes services such as in-house training, manufacturer support and project management to enable a smooth implementation phase and continued maintenance.
The focus of Tait was to upgrade the network to TaitNet MPT 1327 without customer interruption. A new TaitNet TN5100 system and gateway provided this seamless transition, which was made possible via the utilisation of a TaitNet Gateway between the Nokia ActionNet system and the new TaitNet node. This meant that during the installation process radio units could log onto sites irrespective of which system the site is connected to and detail the registration to both systems allowing calls to be placed between units and/or intersystems.
The TaitNet MPT system also allows for private one-to-one, fleet, group calls as well as short data messaging, which provided more efficient management of communications for ActewAGL’s business divisions. The network can also host multiple simultaneous conversations, which is especially important when dispatching different crews for a coordinated response..
Tait provided a holistic solution, which included the system build, project management, installation and maintenance to ensure the ActewAGL network is used to its full capacity now and in the future.
The Outcome
The outcome for ActewAGL was a seamless transition from the old Nokia ActionNet system to the new TaitNet system, providing a robust, reliable and supportable radio system that will satisfy the needs of ActewAGL for some years to come.
