Connecting Britain’s roads

has been awarded a contract, valued at approximately €120 million, to build and deploy a converged high-speed telecommunication network alongside

's motorways.

The project is managed by GeneSYS, the consortium selected to deploy the National Roads Telecommunications Services (NRTS) on behalf of the UK Highways Agency. Implementation will begin in 2006 with completion of the core transmission network planned for the first quarter of 2007.

The UK Highways Agency currently manages and maintains 28 networks with data coming from over 11,000 roadside devices. Alcatel's installation of a single, IP-based optical backbone network will improve the transmission of various types of information - such as CCTV footage, variable messaging and electronic signalling - as well as enhance the delivery of commercial services such as emergency telephony.

Alcatel is the telecoms design authority of the GeneSYS consortium, which is headed by Fluor Corporation. The GeneSYS consortium will migrate the existing voice, video and data networks onto one converged solution and will be responsible for project management, construction, financing and maintenance of the project.

GeneSYS will provide, co-ordinate and manage the National Roads Telecommunications Services on a national basis, which will give motorists access to new services such as Active Traffic Management.