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Turku, Finland. (September 14, 2006)
- Viola Systems, a leader in industrial-grade wireless M2M connectivity
solutions, today proudly unveils a customer success story that is
a rewarding result of a long-term and efficient collaboration between
Digita and Viola.
Digita operates a broadcasting network for terrestrial
television (DVB-T). Digita’s nationwide DVB-T network comprises
38 main broadcasting stations and 70 repeater stations.
The repeater stations extend the network coverage
into areas where the signal from the main broadcasting stations
would otherwise be too weak. A repeater station listens to the nearest
main broadcasting station and then simply sends the received transmission
signal unchanged out into the air.
When TVs go blank
Digita’s repeater stations are often located in remote places
where it is too expensive to build fixed line connections. “If
a repeater station fails, people’s television sets go blank.
In case of a failure, we want to have our repair team on the road
well before people start calling us,” explains Esa Maunula,
Manager of Network Management Systems at Digita.
It’s all
about SNMP traps
One or many repeater devices at the repeater station are connected
to an Ethernet LAN. When an abnormal event occurs, it triggers a
repeater to send a Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) trap.
The SNMP trap is sent to HP OpenView, a software for network node
management, located at the Digita Network Management Center.
Alarms, alarms,
alarms
Examples of an abnormal event: repeater transmission power failure,
no incoming transmission signal or high repeater device temperature.
In addition to the event-triggered alarms, Digita also polls device
status on daily basis.
Competitively
priced, Always-on connectivity
In early 2004 Digita commenced its search for a suitable remote
connectivity solution. A technical screening was conducted first
and then an invitation for tender was sent to the selected candidates.
“Viola beat the competition as its product, the Arctic GPRS
Gateway, was priced competitively, is fully compliant with the SNMP
standard, and offers always-on connectivity,” Maunula remembers.
”Many candidates offered GSM data, a legacy
dial-up-not-always-on technology that simply won’t work with
delay-sensitive network management systems.”
Instant deployment,
robust design
Digita placed its first order for the Arctic GPRS Gateways in September
2004. At the time Digita was building a small DVB-H pilot network,
a digital broadcast network for handhelds. The DVB-H pilot network
offered an excellent playground where the first Arctics were put
through extensive field tests.
“We were somewhat surprised of the instant deployment and
ease of use the Arctics delivered during the tests,” Maunula
endorses. “The Arctic GPRS Gateway is a robust embedded system
clearly designed for harsh and demanding environments.”
Extended with
digital I/Os
The Arctic GPRS Gateway that Digita uses is extended with digital
inputs and outputs. This allows Digita to do extra things like check
whether mains to the repeater site works or not, check premises
temperatures, and even turn on a back-up power source.
From a test installation
to every repeater station
Today the Arctic GPRS Gateways allow Digita to remotely monitor
and control their whole nationwide network of 70 DVB-T repeater
stations. Furthermore, the Arctic GPRS Gateways have found their
ways to other remote monitoring applications at Digita.
To the top of
Finland
One of Digita’s main broadcasting stations stands at the top
of 1029 m high Saana fell. The station’s back-up power source,
located at the bottom of Saana, is remotely supervised through the
Arctic GPRS Gateway.
Tangible business
results
“We have received numerous alarms from the Arctics based on
which we have dispatched our repair teams immediately to the right
places. We now have the tools to direct our network maintenance
operations in a reliable and timely manner, thanks to the Arctic
GPRS Gateway,“ Maunula ends.
For the SNMP-based remote management of any
telecommunications infrastructure, such as cellular base stations,
the Arctic GPRS Gateway, featuring a built-in firewall and VPN,
is a robust and easy to deploy solution.
The related case study including a network diagram
is available in PDF format at
http://www.violasystems.com/solutions/assets/documents/digita_case_final.pdf.
About Digita
Digita Oy (www.digita.fi) is
the leading Finnish distributor of radio and television services,
and an important developer of data communication networks and network
infrastructure. Digita’s nationwide organisation ensures the
high quality of services 24 hours a day. Digita’s customers
include television and radio broadcasting companies, as well as
mobile and broadband operators.
About Viola M2M Solution™
Unlike many competitors who deliver boxes, Viola delivers
a total secure end-to-end connectivity solution that seamlessly
integrates remote devices and sites to centralized management systems
such as SCADA or HP OpenView. No changes to existing systems are
needed. Viola M2M Solution™ is an install-and-forget-it, hassle-free
approach. In addition, Viola M2M Solution™ is operator-independent;
it allows customers to implement two-way data communications in
a similar manner all around the world.
About Viola Systems
Viola is specialized in advanced, industrial-grade M2M
(machine-to-machine) wireless connectivity solutions that seamlessly
link remote devices and sites together. Reliable remote access to
device information leads to increased productivity and enables new
maintenance business. Viola’s solutions are used in a wide
variety of applications from substations and distribution transformers
in electricity networks to base stations in telecommunications networks
to the transfer of video feed from remote surveillance cameras.
Viola’s solutions are sold through a global network of sales
partners. Viola’s customers include ABB, RFI – a division
of the Italian State Railways, Vattenfall, Freescale Semiconductor,
EBV Elektronik, Digita, and Finnish Road Administration. Viola’s
headquarters are located in Turku, Finland. For more information,
please visit www.violasystems.com.
Editor contact:
Viola Systems Ltd.
Mr. Jyrki Penttonen
Chief Executive Officer
Tel. +358 (0) 40 570 5775
E-mail: jyrki.penttonen@violasystems.com
Digita Oy
Mr. Esa Maunula
Manager of Network Management Systems
Tel. +358 (0) 40 722 0751
E-mail: esa.maunula@digita.fi
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