The State Company Avtodor has enabled cellular networks’ availability at M-11 Highway. Avtodor announced the last stage of project for cellular network infrastructure building on M-11 Highway. The project is fulfilled together with MTS PJSC.
Now the drivers will be able to text along the entire road. At the end of 2019, the feature was not available. The highway was constructed far from settlements. Certainly, cell phone operators were not interested in erecting cellular towers and mounting the necessary equipment until the road was finished. When the entire highway was opened for traffic on November 27, 2019, mobile communication service demand of M-11 drivers increased.
Road company employees have prepared the roadsides for installing cellular towers and providing power supply for them. Cell network operators conducted RF studies to define the number and location of antenna mast structures (AMSs) to host the necessary cell phone communication equipment. 97 AMSs are already installed and powered.
MTS PJSC mounted equipment on 95 percent of built AMSs and provided voice signal coverage in all regions crossed by the road. Thus, 4G is available in Moscow, Tver and Leningrad regions. In Novgorod region, only voice communication service is accessible. However, 4G coverage will follow there soon. Operators keep mounting their equipment on AMSs. A stable signal by other large cell phone operators along the highway is expected by the end of 2020.
Geogry Checherin, Deputy Chairman of the Board of the State Company Avtodor:,“Providing cell communication to road users is one of the priorities of the State Company Avtodor. Drivers riding new high-speed roads built from scratch shall enjoy a comfortable and safe travel. We realize the importance of a stable cell phone signal for them. Thus, we actively cooperate with cell phone operators within the new projects and the outgoing ones. M-11 is a great example. We are working on a cell phone coverage of the Central Ring Road (CRR). I think this experience of cooperation will be useful for us on M-12 Highway, too”.
“This project is of great social importance. A high-quality fault-free communication along the road first of all secures the safety of drivers. In case of a road accident, they shall be able to call a rescue service or other emergency services, or contact their friends and family. It is a large-scale project with many components, and I am content with the fruitful cooperation. We managed to provide for complete coverage of the motorway with voice signal in the shortest terms. Now we proceeded to the final stage where M-11 will be secured with high-speed LTE mobile internet. Currently, it can be used along the entire highway except for certain sections in Novgorod region. Internet coverage will follow there in the next weeks. Another great result of the program: it improved MTS communication quality in the adjacent villages and small towns due to erecting cell towers along the highway”, emphasized MTS Technical Vice President Viktor Belov.
M-11 Highway (total length of 669 km) is exemplary in terms of infrastructure service. It hosts rest areas, multifunctional road service zones, and round-the-clock accident management service. Divisional islands are installed preventing driving in the wrong lane, and lighting fixtures are erected. With the latter, a ride at 110 to 130 km/h will be comfortable even at night. A new high-quality transport and logistics product demands securing cell communication along the entire highway.
