From Monday, October 1, 2018, users of the Rennes metro will be able to benefit from very high-speed mobile access in all fifteen stations and tunnels on line a. The service will subsequently be extended to line b, currently under construction.
In January 2017, TDF and Rennes Métropole signed a public domain occupation agreement authorizing TDF to carry out the technical design and deploy the antenna infrastructure for very high-speed mobile coverage of the Rennes metro. After a year's work, TDF has finalized the installation of the equipment that will relay the mobile operators' coverage and provide a high-quality 3G/4G service, which may later evolve to 5G.
With the arrival of 4G in the metro, Rennes is one of the few French cities, after Toulouse and Lille, to offer this service to the residents and professionals who pass through the underground network every day.
A turnkey solution from TDF
In line with its positioning as a "neutral and open" infrastructure operator, TDF provides a "turnkey" solution for all mobile telephony operators. Pooling the technical infrastructure minimizes the number of devices to be installed in the metro's right-of-way, and optimizes deployment costs. What's more, the cell phone operators' equipment is housed at the TDF site in Cesson-Sévigné, saving space underground in the metro and reducing the need for intervention in the metro's normal operations.
The TDF teams are based at the Cesson-Sévigné site, as close as possible to the project. In addition, thanks to its national supervision center, TDF remains on alert 24/7 to ensure quality of service.
TDF's expertise in indoor living spaces
Improving mobile coverage in places where people live (subways, shopping malls, offices, etc.) is a real challenge for operators today. The exponential growth in mobile data consumption, combined with new "HQE" (High Environmental Quality) building construction standards whose materials are an obstacle to mobile frequencies, make it necessary to deploy specific technical solutions. TDF has developed recognized expertise in the design of indoor coverage solutions, and today supports mobile operators in the deployment of these networks.
TDF's local roots in Rennes
On this occasion, TDF confirms its strong commitment to the Rennes area, through its local datacenter and its contribution to the mobile coverage of the Rennes - Le Mans high-speed line. The recent agreement between TDF and SNCF Gares & Connexions concerning mobile coverage of SNCF stations represents a new opportunity for TDF to invest in Rennes to improve the quality of mobile services for its residents.
TDF is proud to fully play its role as a digital developer and to contribute, together with Rennes Métropole and the four operators, to the development of connectivity in the Rennes metro. Firmly established in Rennes for several decades, TDF intends to fully live up to its commitment to "connect everywhere, faster" and thus meet the exponentially growing need for connectivity.
says Christine Landrevot, Managing Director of TDF's Telecom Division.
Key project figures
- 135 km of fiber optics between the stations and Cesson Sévigné
- 4 km of coaxial cable to wire the antennas of the 13 stations and 2 wells
- Almost a hundred antennas installed
- Over 6 months of in situ work
- More than 50 people from 10 companies involved in the project
Key figures for the Rennes metro
- Line a: 9.4 km long
- 15 stations
- 130,000 passengers a day
- Autumn 2020: opening of metro line b (14 km, 15 stations)