In Motion Technology, the leader in mobile networking technologies that efficiently connect and manage equipment, information and people in the field announced today that Maryland Transit Administration (MTA) has completed its initial deployment of onBoard Mobile Gateways. The Gateway was selected as the cornerstone of MTA’s new fleet communications architecture to deliver secure wireless communications for a consolidated bus network.
MTA has ordered their newest buses to include the onBoard Mobile Gateway, which will enable them to more easily manage and evolve secure mobile networking, serving present and future onboard systems with the latest wireless technologies. The Gateway allows on-board systems to share communications assets and access new wireless network technologies to minimize the number of modems and antennas needed on MTA buses.
The Gateway initially serves MTA’s mobile video recorder and automatic vehicle monitoring systems, providing secure connections through MTA’s new 802.11n garage-area Wi-Fi network. The new system delivers the broadband throughput required in the bus garage to offload vehicle health information and large volumes of recorded video following reported incidents on the vehicle. The Gateway will also access public and/or private 4G cellular networks for wide-area broadband applications such as live streaming of tactical video during emergency incidents while the vehicle is in service.
“The In Motion Technology solution integrated quickly and easily into MTA’s operations, and now serves our current bus applications transparently. The Gateway is already allowing the MTA fleet to keep up with the latest wireless technologies and will reduce the cost and complexity of our future bus operations systems projects,” said Vern Hartsock, deputy director, at MTA’s Office of Engineering.
In Motion’s onBoard Mobile Gateway creates a vehicle area network that enables fare system equipment, dispatch systems, video recorders and other bus-mounted equipment to communicate securely and reliably over any wireless network. The Gateway will sense and select the best available network automatically whether it is public or private, cellular or Wi-Fi. The Gateway allows the transit fleet to stay in constant contact with maintenance and operations centers, and brings enterprise security standards to the mobile environment with the latest firewall, VPN, and wireless encryption technology.
“In Motion Technology is pleased to be chosen by MTA to assure that their investment in broadband technology benefits all systems on the vehicle. The onBoard Mobile Gateway allows MTA to customize policies for network selection, traffic filtering and quality of service, enabling diverse bus operations systems to effectively share garage-area and wide-area broadband services,” said David Birarda, vice president of business development at In Motion Technology.
About Maryland Transit Administration (MTA)
The Maryland Transit Administration (MTA) is one of the largest multi-modal transit systems in the United States, operating Local and Commuter Buses, Metro Subway, Light Rail, MARC (Maryland Area Regional Commuter) Train Service, and a comprehensive Paratransit (Mobility) system. The MTA’s fixed-route bus fleet serves 250,000 passengers daily in the city of Baltimore and in fiscal year 2009 the MTA provided more than 105 million trips. Visit http://mta.maryland.gov/ for more details.
About In Motion Technology
In Motion Technology is the leader in mobile networking technologies that connect and manage equipment, information and people in the field. In Motion’s patented Mobile Wireless Hot Spot System (US Patent #7,382,771) turns each vehicle into a secure, mobile communications hotspot that enables people on the road to stay in constant contact, as onboard communications roam seamlessly across wireless networks. It provides organizations with real-time information to manage operations to peak efficiency, and frees individuals to be effective anywhere, anytime. Today, In Motion’s solutions are used by more than 300 municipal, healthcare, public safety, transportation and utility organizations worldwide. For more information, please call Stephanie Hughes-White (In Motion Technology Inc.) at 604.523.2371 ext.541 or visit In Motion Technology at www.inmotiontechnology.com or www.twitter.com/inmotion_tech and www.facebook.com/inmotiontechnology.