How do you connect the most critical substations of a utility serving nearly 10 million people – with guaranteed availability, long-term stability and capacity high enough to replace legacy microwave systems? In Rio de Janeiro, the answer is full-duplex RipEX2.
https//www.racom.eu/ru/case/full-duplex-links-modernise-power-distribution-in-brazil
Challenge: High-Capacity, High-Reliability Connectivity for Critical Substations
RACOM has operated in Brazil for many years, with hundreds of RipEX installations across the country. In 2022, together with our long-term partner Utili, we were approached by one of Brazil’s largest distribution companies.
Their requirements were clear:
- high-throughput links between major substations
- operation in the licensed 400 MHz band
- full-duplex point-to-point communication
- maximum availability for SCADA traffic
- long-term replacement for Aprisa XE links, which no longer met reliability needs
For the most important substations, data volumes were so high that shared radio channels or p-t-mp topologies were not sufficient. Dedicated full-duplex links were required.
Solution: RipEX2 Full-Duplex Links Deliver 1.6 Mbps and Carrier-Grade Availability
In phase one, three full-duplex RipEX2 links were deployed using the RipEX2-RS 19” rack chassis together with external duplexers.
Performance highlights:
- 256 QAM modulation in 250 kHz channels achieving 1.6 Mbps symmetrical throughput
- link distances of 9 and 10 km, both achieving 99.9% long-term availability
- robust 16DEQAM used on a complex 9 km path with heavy multipath reflections, reaching 1.1 Mbps at 98% availability
All links operate in the licensed 400 MHz band, providing excellent coverage and stable propagation in Rio de Janeiro’s challenging geography.
Installation, optimisation and commissioning were carried out with the support of RACOM engineer Lorena, based in Brazil and responsible for technical support across Latin America.
Results: Outstanding Performance and a Strong Foundation for Expansion
The customer was impressed by:
- the high throughput achieved over 400 MHz
- the stability and availability of full-duplex RipEX2 links
- the improved reliability compared to the previous Aprisa XE solution
- the flexibility of 19” rack installation using RipEX2-RS
Encouraged by the results of the first three links, the utility plans to expand its RipEX2 full-duplex network across additional substations in the near future.
RipEX2 has now proven itself as a superior, modern and highly reliable communication platform for Brazil’s critical power infrastructure.
