Highways Agency - Safe roads, Reliable journeys, Informed travellers

Background to the NRTS Project

The Highways Agency (the Agency) operates a dedicated telecommunications network that connects many thousands of roadside devices (emergency telephones, CCTV cameras, variable message signs etc.) alongside England's motorways to seven Regional Control Centres (RCC). This network is made up of fibre optic and copper cables that transmit data and voice signals between the devices and the RCCs.

Before the awarding of the National Roads Telecommunications Services (NRTS) contract, the Agency's motorway communications network, the National Motorway Communications System or NMCS, was the end result of nearly 40 years of essentially piecemeal development of networks to keep pace with the expanding motorway system. 

In some areas the cables needed to be replaced and generally there was little spare capacity for expansion.
The Government's 1998 White Paper, A New Deal for Transport: Better for Everyone and the associated Roads Review, A New Deal for Trunk Roads in England, re-focussed the role of the HA to that of a Network Operator. It provided the Agency with a new strategic aim: "to contribute to sustainable development by maintaining, operating and improving the trunk road network".  In response, the NRTS project was conceived to provide a single, national approach to the future development of the telecommunications network and the provision of telecommunications services.

What is the NRTS Project?

The NRTS project provides a service that carries data from roadside devices to traffic control offices.  Through the new transmission network services that it provides, NRTS is accelerating the Agency's move towards digital communications. Digital technology is inherently more reliable, more manageable and more flexible than previous generations of communications technology.  The NRTS contract was awarded in September 2005 to the GeneSYS, consortium.

GeneSYS has end-to-end responsibility for telecommunications services i.e. the trunk and local connections from Control Office to roadside device, but the roadside device itself and Control Office applications remain with the Agency.  GeneSYS are responsible for providing a resilient and reliable service and for monitoring the performance of the telecommunications services. They are also responsible for ensuring that the telecommunications services will be uninterrupted by accidental damage to the infrastructure or by planned highway widening and reconstruction works.  GeneSYS' responsibilities cover all of the Agency's motorway and trunk road network.

The contract ensures that the supply of new services and any renewal of the existing communications network is covered by a monthly service charge.  Connections from roadside devices into the communications network are ordered and paid for as and when required.  Deductions are made from the monthly service charge when the defined level of service is not met.

What GeneSYS provides

GeneSYS provides a one-stop-shop for the Agency's operational telecommunications needs. GeneSYS are required to:

• provide telecommunications services on a national basis
• co-ordinate and manage the planning of telecommunications services
• maintain existing and future telecommunications services
• upgrade and extend telecommunications services to enable the Agency to expand the network
• develop new types of services required by new initiatives such as Active Traffic Management
• facilitate and manage any commercial third party opportunities, for example, generating revenue by using spare capacity in the fibre optic cable network
• provide web based information
• provide an aerial site service
• provide design and consultancy services.

The GeneSYS Contract

Transmission Services

GeneSYS operate and maintain connections between roadside devices and control centres. Each individual connection is termed a Service Type Instance (STI). There are several types of STI that can be selected depending on the type of device to be connected.  For example, one will connect an existing emergency telephone to the appropriate control centre, whilst another might connect future monitoring devices using internet protocol.

GeneSYS, initially, assumed responsibility for approximately 15,000 existing STIs.  GeneSYS are also responsible for all STIs provided under the terms of the contract.  The Agency is able to instruct GeneSYS to design, install and activate new STIs and also deactivate or remove redundant STIs.

Full Size Version (opens in a pop up window)

GeneSYS continuously monitor the performance of the service and provide the Agency  with appropriate records.

GeneSYS are allowed to generate commercial revenues to be shared with the Agency under the terms of the contract. It may do this by:

• leasing spare transmission capacity
• offering fully managed transmission services to third parties.

Aerial Site Service

The Agency pays GeneSYS a fixed monthly charge for handling, on its behalf, enquiries from mobile network operators (MNOs) about sites on highways land. The Agency will receive a share of the commercial revenues that GeneSYS generates from its commercial services for the MNOs.  These services include:

• Site design
• Site planning
• Obtaining the necessary approvals for the new aerial

Consultancy Service

On request from the Agency, GeneSYS are required to provide consultancy services related to telecommunications activities which are not included in the delivery of any of the other NRTS services.  These can include:

• compliance testing of devices
• research and development support.
• development of industry standards and codes of practice

GeneSYS Management Systems

In addition to the services described above, the Agency required GeneSYS to develop, operate, maintain and update a number of management systems.  These systems are now in place and record:

• details and conditions of the Agency's  telecommunications assets
• faults and service performance data on the network
• issues and control of Agency approved standards documents
• future programming of technology
• numbers and locations of all telecommunication equipment
• maintenance schedules

GeneSYS have also established a private Web Site for all Agency users and designated others. It provides on-line access to all NRTS documentation, systems and records.

The Future

The NRTS contract will allow the Agency to realise the development of a national, high-speed telecommunications network.  In time, much of the traffic information and data currently collected by detectors in the road surface and delivered by message signs will be provided more effectively, directly to drivers using 'in-car' technology. 
NRTS will play a vital role in promoting these and other Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS) developments leading to safe roads, reliable journeys and informed travellers.

For further information you should contact:
E-mail Genesys.noc@fluor.com

Web http://www.highways.gov.uk/nrtsco

Follow the link above to access the NRTS Website.  Once the page has fully loaded click on the 'Popular Downloads' tab in the left-hand navigation panel. You will then be presented with a list of the available documents that can be downloaded / viewed. The following NRTS technology guides should be available:

• Overview Guide
• Project Managers Guide
• Road Maintainers Guide
• RMC Guide
• Assets and Responsibilities (Supporting Information)
• Services and Interfaces (Supporting Information)
• Scheme Case Study