With origins dating back to 1923, BAI Communications has been part of Australia’s critical infrastructure for more than a century.
BAI provides a communications backbone for anything mission-critical – designing, building, operating, managing and owning networks for transport operators, rail, broadcasters, government, emergency services, ports, utilities, and mining and resources enterprises.
“Most Australians interact with BAI Communications’ infrastructure daily without knowing it,” said Elyssa Rollinson, Chief Commercial Officer at BAI Communications.
“At one point we were calling ourselves the ‘digital roadies’ because the public don’t always know what we are doing behind the scenes – but our customers certainly appreciate what we do to keep their networks ‘always on’.
“We deliver television and radio services to 99 per cent of the Australian population across more than 745 transmission sites, and we operate the New South Wales Telco Authority’s Public Safety Network, one of the world’s largest public safety radio networks.”
Within the transport space, BAI Communications recently landed a significant contract. It will deliver critical radio communications systems for the landmark Sydney Metro West project, as a partner to the Metro Trains West Pty Ltd (MTW) consortium.
“We’re very proud to be part of this transformational project that will reshape mobility across Greater Sydney,” said Rollinson.
Breaking new ground
One of the most significant public transport infrastructure investments in Australia’s history, Sydney Metro West will double rail capacity between Parramatta and Sydney’s CBD.
With 16 next-generation, driverless metro trains, 24 kilometres of tunnel and nine new stations, the project’s aim is to reduce travel times, relieve congestion and unlock urban renewal.
MTW, a joint venture between MTR Corporation (Australia) Pty Limited and CRRC (Hong Kong) Co Limited, has been awarded the Trains, Systems, Maintenance and Operations contract for the project, which targets an opening date of 2032.
BAI’s role is to design, deliver, and integrate essential communications infrastructure across the new metro line.
Its scope will include delivering a private 5G network enabling operational radio systems, train communications, and rail signalling, as well as ensuring seamless 4G/5G coverage for passengers using the Telstra, Optus, and TPG networks across all stations and tunnels.
BAI Communications will also ensure New South Wales emergency services maintain reliable coverage throughout the entire corridor.
Sydney Metro West will employ Australia’s first 5G Mission-Critical Services (MCX) based radio communication system, with a clear pathway to the Future Railway Mobile Communication System or FRMCS – the lower-latency, evolving global standard designed to replace ageing systems over the next decade.
“Connectivity platforms have evolved over time,” Rollinson explained. “If you think about mobile phone networks, we’ve moved from 2G to 3G to 4G to 5G.
“Rail systems are still operating on legacy technology platforms. But the trains themselves are increasingly automated, and the control systems, the signalling systems, and new communications and voice technologies for rail are all moving ahead at pace.
“There is a whole new range of technologies which are the future for rail systems, and those technologies will not work on old connectivity platforms. In the same way that our mobile phone technology has progressed, we need to move the rail communication systems into the new generation so that it is future-ready.”
Rollinson said BAI is thrilled to be pioneering this technology in Australia.
“From a communications technology perspective, this is groundbreaking,” she added. “We’re thrilled to be at the forefront of advising the rail industry and helping it to evolve in terms of its connectivity.”
Bringing international experience home
Prior to BAI’s separation into two businesses in 2023, with Boldyn Networks now covering the northern hemisphere, the company delivered large-scale mission-critical rail communications systems in major cities around the world.
“We built all of the communication systems for public cellular connectivity in the New York subway, which was a massive project,” said Rollinson. “We did the same in Toronto, and our sister company Boldyn is currently delivering a range of communications networks for the London Underground.”
Rollinson said Sydney Metro West will benefit directly from BAI’s international project delivery.
“Several people in our Australia-based team have gained invaluable experience overseas and are now bringing it home,” she said.
“We also have an ongoing relationship with Boldyn, which means we stay close to how 5G MCX is being implemented on networks like Deutsche Bahn in Germany, among the most advanced rail 5G programs in the world.
“This is a useful live reference point when designing something like Sydney Metro West.”
BAI (and more recently through Boldyn) has also worked on the design, operations and maintenance of Hong Kong’s rail system in partnership with MTR Corporation.
“MTR was effectively one of our first customers for our international business when we started to expand outside Australia,” said Rollinson. “We’ve had a very long and positive relationship and are delighted to continue our partnership with the Sydney Metro West project.”
Standing out from the crowd
In rail, communications failure is not an operational inconvenience, it is a safety event. Train control, workforce safety, passenger systems, and CCTV all depend on networks that simply cannot go down.
“We bring delivery experience in that context – not just technical capability on paper,” said Rollinson. “Our engineers have worked across rolling stock wireless, wayside networks, mission-critical push-to-talk, and information technology/operational technology convergence in real rail environments.”
Rollinson said BAI has a unique advantage because of its global experience but also its public safety heritage.
“It’s an absolute non-negotiable that Australia’s police, fire and ambulance services have connectivity in all environments, from buildings to tunnels to stations,” she said.
“We manage and operate the New South Wales Telco Authority’s Public Safety Network very successfully, ensuring it is always on. We ensure our communication systems are resilient and robust, and we think about connectivity needs in a holistic way.
“We bring together our expertise in rail operational connectivity, public cellular connectivity and public safety, implementing an efficient multi-technology, multi-platform solution that gets better outcomes.”
BAI also prides itself on being vendor neutral.
“When we make a recommendation, it is based on what is operationally right for the client, not what we have a commercial incentive to sell,” Rollinson continued.
Heavy haul
BAI has grown its capabilities in the mining space with its 2025 acquisition of Titan ICT – an advanced engineering firm specialising in Information and Communication Technologies (ICT).
“Titan ICT brings specialist experience in communications for mining and resources operations, including heavy-haul rail networks that are central to the Pilbara mining supply chain,” Rollinson explained.
“These are demanding environments for wireless communications, with long distances and unforgiving conditions, and the safety requirements are stringent.”
The Titan ICT acquisition strengthens BAI’s private 5G capability, so it can now offer clients an end-to-end service, from spectrum licensing and network design through to deployment and ongoing managed support. It can also offer an “Own and Operate” model, where BAI deploys capital investment under long term Network-as-a-Service arrangements.
“BAI and Titan have been working with both mines and ports, implementing private 5G networks in those environments,” Rollinson said. “The next thing is the rail channel that connects them, and that’s something that needs to be done in a number of privately-owned rail networks around Australia, particularly in the Pilbara. Just like the commuter rail sector, the private rail networks also need to undergo a technology transition to enable future automation.”
Rollinson said BAI is looking forward to working more in this space in the future.
“We’re not just vendor-agnostic – we’re also technology- and partner-agnostic,” she said. “We have a rich heritage of working with multiple ecosystem partners to produce solutions and implement them with an outcome-based focus. We’re looking forward to working more with players in the mining industry, to solve their operational technology requirements at the mine sites, but also through the rail corridors.”
