Bradford City: UK Smart City Initiative Supported by Siklu's Millimeter Wave Technology

Siklu  has been selected to provide the wireless part of a hybrid wireless connectivity network for Bradford City in the UK as part of an extensive smart city project to integrate multiple information and communication technologies city-wide. The project includes providing the wireless connectivity for more than 300 surveillance cameras and two-dozen traffic management devices.

In areas where the 5GHz noise is high, the city uses the palm sized EH-600 mmW (millimeter-wave) radio from Siklu, which operates in the interference-free 60GHz frequency band. Designed for installation at street level, the EH-600 mmW radio provides long-term gigabit capacity in a small unobtrusive size.

The system was installed by solution integrator Net View Systems of Bradford City, UK, a specialist provider of integrated electronic security and infrastructure systems. The new Siklu-enabled network connects the Bosch Video Management System (BVMS) to a mix of 300 surveillance cameras from Axis Communications, Bosch Security Systems and HikVision surveillance cameras. The mmW system transmits data from hundreds of traffic junctions and 26 variable messaging signs that are used for traffic management.

The city is also using Siklu EH-1200 80GHz (E-band) rooftop radios to deliver a backhaul network with 1Gb full duplex capacity and 256-bit AES encryption. The E-band links replaced a citywide infrastructure that relied upon expensive leased lines. The EH-1200 80GHz provides future proof capacity with a predictive performance aggregation layer to ensure interference free transmission.

“With the ever increasing capacity requirements associated with providing wireless connectivity we required a high capacity alternative outside of the congested 5GHz band. Siklu has been rock solid,” said Marc Hancock, Managing Director, Net View Systems. “Siklu’s Extended Range feature has allowed Net View Systems to deploy E-band hardware at link distance that would have never otherwise been possible. This has resulted in a huge operating expense saving to the Bradford City Council, as we can do away with licensed microwave links and their expensive annual Ofcom charges.”

The City of Bradford is located in West Yorkshire, England. With a population of more than 500,000, the city is the fourth largest metropolitan district in the country. It is also home to several large national and international businesses, such as Morrisons, Pace Plc and Hallmark Cards. In addition, three large financial institutions are based in Bradford: Yorkshire Building Society, Bradford & Bingley Building Society and Provident Financial.

“Siklu is pleased to work with Net View Systems on this project for the City of Bradford,” said Zeev Farkash, VP Global Sales, from Siklu Communications. “Siklu’s unique technology benefits include extremely low delays to provide customers with reliable performance, which is critical for safe cities.”

The Siklu EtherHaul mmW products family will be showcased at the IFSEC International exhibition in London, June 21-23, Booth E750 as part of the Milestone Partner Pavilion.