Globalsat Group to improve Brazil railway comms

Brazil’s railways are set to receive satellite connectivity and new push-to-talk radios in a bid to improve transport speed and train, vehicle and operator safety. 

Globalsat Group announced the multiyear deal with Latin American transport and logistics company Rumo SA along with Globalsat Group’s partners, Inmarsat and Cobham. 

The project will initially focus on 2000 km of the Northern Railway that connects six key states to the Port of Santos, according to Globalsat Group. Currently, most of Rumo’s tracks run through remote areas with unreliable or non-existent network coverage, preventing train drivers, railway engineers and transport managers from transmitting or receiving live traffic updates and causing long delays, various logistical challenges and increased operational costs. 

From early 2020, Globalsat Group will start providing 300 Rumo cargo trains with Cobham Explorer 325 broadband global area network (BGAN) terminals, Explorer mobile gateways and PRISM PTT+ service, allowing accurate, real-time train tracking as well as voice and data communication between drivers, maintenance crews and regional control centres, Globalsat Group said. Ultimately, the company hopes to extend the rollout to 1600 locomotives. 

“In Brazil, rail is the most important transportation channel for many industries including agriculture, commodities, forestry and consumer goods. So a more efficient network means a stronger economy,” Globalsat do Brasil Head and Globalsat Group Senior Vice President of Sales Igor Falcao said. 

“Rumo’s rail network is the only one connecting the central state of Mato Grosso to the largest port in Latin America — Santos. The connectivity improvements being brought by mobile satellite communications will improve Rumo’s operations, making rail a more reliable and effective transport proposition that the Brazilian economy can depend on.”      

Image (left to right): Kristian Brehm, Senior Director Cobham; Rupert Pearce, CEO Inmarsat; and Igor Falcao, Head of Globalsat do Brasil and Senior Vice President of Sales of Globalsat Group. Image courtesy Globalsat Group.