Radio Network Infrastructure Replacement

Descriptions

HM Coastguard are required to monitor VHF and MF Radio transmissions from vessels at sea and provide assistance in case of emergency to prevent loss of life within the UK’s jurisdiction. In order to do this, the current network consists of 155 Remote Radio sites (RRS), situated around 11 000 miles of UK coastline. This network facilitates all communication transmissions to and from vessels at sea and to the HM Coastguard Watch Officers based at our 10 Coastguard Operation Centres around the UK and the National Maritime Operations Centre in Fareham via two Data Centres.The existing network that links these remote radio sites to the HMCG Operations Centres needs to be replaced; the reason is that the analogue Kilostream product that underpins the existing network is being withdrawn from the market in March 2020 by BT in line with a wider OFCOM deregulation of low bandwidth analogue point-to-point product types across the telecommunications industry.