The National Roads Telecommunications Services is the fibre-optic network of communication and control that National Highways uses to monitor England's roads. Its design has allowed active traffic management, that has led to managed motorways.
Prior to 2005, the motorway network was controlled by the National Motorway Communication System (NMCS). This network was not inherently fibre-optic or digitally controlled.
The £490 million contract for the NRTS was awarded to the GeneSYS Consortium on 19 September 2005. GENESYS Consortium is a group of companies led by Fluor (Fluor Corporation) and is a Public–private partnership.
The system is designed to allow a national scheme of road pricing, possibly using radio-frequency identification tags.[1]} The cost of the project was described by the Association of British Drivers as being "an awful lot to spend just for signs saying that motorways are closed and that you should not drink and drive."[1]
The NRTS is an intelligent transportation system based at the Quinton Business Park at Quinton, Birmingham. Video images are sent over fibre-optic cables to form a switched video network. The fibre-optic system was deployed with Guardian-Lite 3700 controllers,[2][better source needed] which uncompressed video signals and other data to be sent at the same time,[citation needed] made (and invented) by AMG Systems of Biggleswade.[citation needed] The system uses a dual fibre cable. The system is resilient because, using the IP protocol, it can re-route signals if cables are damaged provided that alternative routes remain available.
It controls traffic on England's motorways and major A roads.
