Rai Way deploys new IP contribution and distribution network enhanced with Cisco IP Fabric for Media

Following a public tender, Italian broadcast network infrastructure and services provider Rai Way has selected Lutech with its partner Cisco to deliver its broadcast network digital transformation, including the roll out of a new IP video and audio contribution and distribution network.

Since 2008, Rai Way has been evolving Italian broadcast infrastructure from analogue to digital and is now undergoing another fundamental step in this evolution: new digital terrestrial. This process involves freeing up the 700MhZ frequency band (‘frequency refarming’) and the use of the MPEG video signal compression standard to enable HD transmission and the adoption of DVB-T2 technology.

Rai Way decided to create a new contribution and distribution infrastructure for its audio and video network, leveraging the flexibility offered by an IP software defined network to send content from the broadcast production centre to the transmitters.

Lutech utilised Cisco technologies designed for the media industry, with Cisco IP Fabric for Media. Cisco Nexus 9000-based media data centre fabrics have been distributed over four different sites in the Rome area in order to transport uncompressed video traffic towards the video head end and compressed video traffic towards Rai Way transmitters.

Additional technology partners on the project were Skyline Communications, Imagine Communications and Enensys.

“Lutech is honoured to have been selected as the prime integrator for the Rai Way IP video matrix project. In a context characterised by the pandemic crisis, we knew that, to be successful, we had to deliver on strict deadlines with the quality expected for this kind of projects. Matching the challenge has only been possible thanks to the fantastic team work with both the customer and Lutech’s top-class partners such as Cisco,” said Aurelio Severino, client executive at Lutech.

“Working with Rai Way on this strategic project, representing a milestone in the digital transformation journey of the Italian market, was a unique opportunity. Migrating everything from legacy technologies to IP is a fundamental enabler of the audio and video services evolution in Italy. We have been supporting Rai Way since 2018:  the collaboration with Lutech and the other technology partners led us to a result we are very proud of,” said Marco Gasperoni, Cisco EMEAR CTO.