To begin with, a new fibreglass network was set up parallel to the gas pipelines, through which all information and status measurements from the network are transferred to the control point using SDH’s multiplex technology. Keymile’s Umux multi-service platform carries out the actual network management.
Gaznat operates a 600-km long network of pipelines and 50 pressure-reducing, control, and measurement stations. The network is integrated into the European natural gas system at five locations, and in 2006 Gaznat distributed around 10,000 gigawatt hours of energy. The new fibreglass network operates within a ring structure, parallel to the gas pipelines, and is designed to provide an ideal network topology at high levels of availability. “We decided to go for Keymile after intensive discussions with energy suppliers and railway companies who already manage their communications networks with Umux”, explains Dominique Luiser, head of engineering at Gaznat in Aigle. “Our demands on levels of security and availability in the data network are high, and we are extremely satisfied with Umux’ performance.”
Keymile is a leading manufacturer and supplier of next-generation access systems with integrated central network management. Its product range extends from IP-DSLAMs to multi-service access platforms and SHDSL transmission solutions, through to specific transmission systems for industrial Ethernet applications. The company, which is headquartered in Vienna, is represented by subsidiaries world-wide, and has numerous clients among telecommunications network operators from both the public and private sectors.