Money matters: The AV empowering digital transformation at Aloqabank

Sophistication and collaboration combine to create true digital transformation at Uzbekistan’s most modern bank. Reece Webb explores.

Ubekistan has experienced strong economic growth of late. This growth is reflected in the recent leap of technologies in the country, and the banking sector is no exception to this. Aloqabank forms an essential link to Uzbekistan’s IT sector providing banking services to  the country’s IT companies, and supporting IT projects.

To support this growth, Aloqabank has opened a new building with the aim of combining its activities with the Ministry of Digital Technologies, a range of IT companies, as well as government departments.

This upgrade is the largest-scale project in the banking sector ever attempted in the country, requiring an innovative and high-scale AV installation that would enable the bank to deliver sophisticated services to its clients with ease, both on and off-site, while also delivering leading facilities for its staff and analysts.

To achieve this goal, Aloqabank turned to systems integrator, Polymedia Uzbekistan to deliver an AV system that would deliver information to visitors in all areas of the bank. 

The system also had to deliver accurate analysis of banking business processes, monitoring of corporate infrastructure and security status, as well as management of emergency situations.

Aziz Nasimov, CEO, Polymedia Uzbekistan, explains: “Polymedia was tasked with the creation of an ultra-modern situation centre that will set an industry trend driving digital transformation in the sector. In the concept development stage that followed, the project grew to become a large-scale AV installation, spanning several floors, many functional areas, and solving multiple complex tasks.

Starting on the ground floor, Vestel 55-in displays are used in the bank’s ‘24/7’ area where customers can make banking transactions, and offer information on customer services.

Stepping into the bank’s reception area, visitors are met by a modern layout, enhanced by LG Ultra Stretch 88BH7G 88-in information displays, deployed in a portrait orientation across the bank’s support columns. The displays visualise the floor plan of the building, while LG LAT140 transparent LED film is installed on the flooring railings between the first and second floors. The system is controlled by external BrightSign media players with SmartPlayer software installed. 

Additionally, an Infokiosk S-KVS5T integrated electronic queue system streamlines the reception experience.

Moving into the ‘crown jewel’ of the complex, the retail banking hall serves as the centre of service for the bank’s customers, requiring a setup that is as efficient as possible for customers. To achieve this, a Vestel three-by-three videowall was installed, comprised of nine 55-in narrow bezel panels; with a thickness of 0.8mm.

This space offers a hub of visual information through four Vestel 98-in displays, offering electronic queue information and other content. An additional two LG 88-in Ultra Stretch displays are placed on the columns in portrait orientation, displaying advertising content, and promotions.

Audio in this space is handled by an ITC sound system comprised of T-200D suspended speakers in the ceiling, as well as a T-61000D single-channel power amplifier.

This audio system provides sound notification updates for the electronic queue system, as well as background music for visitors to enjoy while waiting.

The first floor is complimented by a café area divided into two zones, with each area equipped with four Vestel 55-in displays, controlled by Brightsign players and supported by an ITC sound system. Additionally, a 
children’s area offers interactive entertainment through two interactive tables, using Vestel 75-in interactive displays which are mounted at a low height for children to play on.

Putting the cherry on top, the elevator waiting area is equipped with Vestel 55-in displays in portrait mode between the first and sixth floors of the building, providing information and entertainment content during 
the wait for the elevators. “There are virtually no ‘blind spots’ for visitors on the first floor of the bank. Visitors can access information from virtually anywhere in this huge area,” explains Nasimov.

Moving up to level two, visitors enter the corporate clients’ service hall, where visitors are greeted by a corporate TV system comprised of two Vestel 98-in information displays with one Vestel 75-in display.

In the entrance area of the corporate clients’ service hall, a corporate TV system is provided based on two 98-in Vestel XN98A-3H information displays and one 75-in Vestel display. Additionally, compact 55-in videowalls in a three-by-one configuration are installed on two opposing walls to display digital signage content, with IPTV channels broadcast on the videowalls to transmit national and international finance 
information to employees and visitors for quick updates.

Meeting expectations

Eleven meeting rooms are dotted around the 22-storey facility, offering space for confidential meetings between clients and the bank. Each floor is home to one meeting room for operational meetings, featuring a Newline 86-in display on a mobile cart, supported by a Poly Studio X50 videobar for videoconferencing and BYOD wireless connection. Use of the meeting rooms throughout the building is streamlined via Extron TLS 525M room scheduling panels, connecting directly to popular calendar systems without the use of additional scheduling software.

Clear conferencing 

The bank’s third floor is home to an impressive conference hall, with space for 320 people. This space required Polymedia Uzbekistan to deliver a hybrid conferencing system, with a focus on high quality sound.
For crystal-clear visualisation for event participants, two Vestel videowalls are installed in a three-by-three configuration, both on the front wall and beneath the podium, offering clear lines of sight from any seat in the auditorium.

At the front of the hall, the speaker’s podium is equipped with a touchscreen and mini PC, allowing presentations and reports to be displayed in interactive mode which offers annotation features for presentations, documents, and other media content.

For audience members sat at the hall’s presidium table, 17-in ITC motorised retractable monitors are built directly into the table. All content broadcast from the podium or other source to the main screens is also duplicated on retractable monitors and on four Vestel 75-in displays which are distributed evenly throughout the hall and side walls.

For quality speech amplification, an ITC digital wired conference system was provided for eight participants, with seven conferencing systems installed at the presidium table and one at the speaker’s podium. For international presentations and meetings, the conference system is supported by an ITC simultaneous interpretation system, offering simultaneous interpretation into two foreign languages, from two soundproofed booths for interpreters. Each seat is equipped with this system, enabling interpretation for all 320 seats.

For videoconferencing in this space, a Poly G7500 videoconferencing system is paired with three RGBlink RGB20X-POE-WH PTZ cameras which offer automatic tracking of the active speaker in the room.
Additional sound reinforcement is provided through three ITC TS-4350PD amplifiers supported by a TS-P1212D audio processor, as well as 12 TS-608 wall-mounted loudspeakers and TS-224 feedback suppression devices.

Complete control 

At the heart of this project was the need for a centralised control system for the entire complex, combining several subsystems across the building with each other. The centralised hall management subsystem is based on an Extron IPCP Pro 350 control system processor, integrating with the operator’s tablet, as well as specialised software on the operator’s laptop.

Extron control systems and GVE software enabled control of all AV systems in the building; turning equipment on and off, monitoring resources and equipment statuses, as well as managing content through the digital signage system.

Polywall software, alongside control technology based on NodeRed software, makes it possible to control both the output of information on LED screens, as well as control of the hardware. AVoIP technology enables dispatchers and analysts to display content in real time from any  workplace in the bank or situation centre screens or vice versa.

Novastar LED controllers are used to control screen brightness depending on the scenarios and the content used, while also offering energy management via the controller’s built-in eco mode.
The third floor’s training centre required uniform sound throughout the space for efficient communication during training, with Polymedia supplying an ITC ceiling speaker system with pendant dome speakers.

 A Newline 86-in interactive display with Poly Studio X50 videobar provides a facility for wireless demonstration of content. Moving to the fifth floor, visitors enter the coworking centre, a collaborative space divided into three zones, each equipped with a Newline 86-in interactive panel on a mobile cart, working with Valarea collaboration software.

Central operations 

The heart of the bank’s operations can be found at its situation centre, a space which consists of two control rooms and a decision-making room which serves as the facility’s nerve centre.
Each control room has its own purpose, with control room one designed to monitor the bank’s internal business processes. The second control room is to control the quality of technological processes, and collect data on the state of the corporate network.

Each control room is equipped with an Absen HC Pro II curved LED screen, featuring a pixel pitch of 0.93mm. Each display clocks in at a size of 10.8m x 1.69m with each screen providing video signal redundancy and power redundancy to overcome any potential issue during 24/7 operations.

Nasimov clarifies: “The small pixel pitch and high resolution of the screens made it possible to place the dispatchers at an optimal distance of less than two metres from the screen. The display system operates with Polywall Enterprise VSN1172-RPSU graphic controllers and software in both control rooms and in the decision-making room, enabling the centre’s operators to create visualisation control scenarios on the videowalls.

Content from software and hardware sources can be displayed simultaneously, with the option to control window layouts both in real time. For audio, a Shure Dante system is used to create a speech transfer and amplification system, consisting of MXA910W ceiling arrays with MXN5W-C ceiling network speakers supported by an IntelliMix P300 digital DSP processor.

Nasimov explains: “The complex, which has no peers in Uzbekistan, allows situation centre operators to effectively manage the visualisation of information from their workstations, with the ability to display information sources both on the video wall in the local room and in adjacent rooms, such as the decision-making room, the adjacent control room or any display facility inside corporate network of the bank.

Video conferencing is also supported with a Poly G7500 video conferencing codec supported by RGBlink PTZ cameras that integrate into the Shure audio system for automatic targeting and real-time voice tracking.
The decision-making room also features a Barco Clickshare CX-30 system for wireless presentation and BYOD connection.

The outer rooms of the situation centre also feature Epson EB-695Wi interactive projectors, interconnected by specialist software that allows operators to interactively work on documents and add notes in real time without leaving the workstation.

The decision-making room features an Absen HC Pro II LED screen with a pixel pitch of 1.25mm and a size of 10.8m x 1.69m, featuring signal and power redundancy as in the other control rooms.

A curved table dominates the space, which allows operators to have a clear view of the entire screen. ITC 17-in retractable displays are built into the table which can display both duplicate information from the main display, as well as display individual information such as analytics or videoconferencing.

For control, an Extron IPCP Pro 350 integrated control processor operates with an Extron TLP Pro 725T desktop touch panel, enabling management of the in-room AV equipment, videowall layouts, information sources, power supply, and related subsystems.

This space was not without its challenges, as the centre evolved dramatically over the course of the project. Nasimov explains: “The main challenge was the construction of a situation centre in a space that was originally intended to be an office space. The layout was atypical for a situation centre, as it had low ceilings, windows in places which were sub-optimal for a situation centre, hanging lighting elements from the ceiling and ventilation shafts, as well as the lack of the necessary electrical power for equipment installation, and an insufficient cooling system. All of this needed to be redesigned and completed to ensure the proper functioning of the situation centre.

“In some cases, it was necessary to use a non-standard approach. For example, as the building construction was in its final stage, it became impossible to supply electricity from the distribution panels to the equipment in the situation centre. We solved the problem by supplying direct electricity directly from the energy centre of the complex. To ensure uninterrupted operation, we have created backup optical lines directly to the Polymedia telecommunications cabinets.”

Taking a trip up to the sixth floor, visitors find themselves in the call centre operator hall, a space where clarity and ease of communication was a priority for Polymedia 
Uzbekistan.

A sound masking system proved essential for this area, with Polymedia Uzbekistan supplying a Soft dB SMS-ML48-4ch sound masking system, supplemented by SMS-STR ceiling sound masking speakers, and a SMS-SEN automatic volume control sensor microphone. The microphone’s sensor detects the current noise level in the room, adjusting the noise masking level automatically to create a comfortable and clear work environment.

Hard work pays off

A project of this scale required around-the-clock work to pull off, with the Polymedia Uzbekistan team carrying out work 24/7 with several shifts of installation teams on site under the constant guidance of lead engineers and the project manager. “One of the most important and difficult requirements of the customer was to complete the first stage of the project for the zones on the first and second floors,”
says Nasimov, “as well as the construction of a situation centre on a tight deadline. At the same time, the quality of the proposed systems was a priority, and all interior and design solutions needed to fit into the overall concept and be combined with the design of the bank premises chosen by the customer.”

Today, Aloqabank stands out as a peerless example of modern banking in a developing economy, equipped to face the challenges of today and tomorrow with unparalleled 
technological sophistication. Nasimov adds: “This project has become most significant for the Polymedia Uzbekistan team. Aloqabank innovation bank is part of the country’s digital transformation undertaking, and, among other business services, the bank is an important link in the ICT sector of Uzbekistan, focusing its activities on providing banking services to IT companies and supporting the development
of IT projects.

“The Polymedia team is proud to have implemented a project of this scale for such a highprofile client in the country. The resulting AV infrastructure is the most extensive and multifunctional in the banking sector in Uzbekistan. The team provided professional AV solutions for multiple zones and spaces spanning several floors in the main building of the bank, including a three-hall situation centre and a conference hall for 320 people.”

Kit list

Audio

ITC T-200D suspended speakers, T-61000D single-channel power amplifier, TS-F173T retractable displays, digital wired conference system, simultaneous interpretation system, TS-4350PD amplifiers, TS-608 loudspeakers, TS-P1212D audio processor, TS-224 feedback suppression devices

Shure MXA910W ceiling arrays, MXN5W-C ceiling network speakers, an IntelliMix P300 digital DSP processor

Soft dB SMS-ML48-4ch sound masking system, SMS-STR ceiling sound masking speakers, SMS-SEN automatic volume control sensor microphone

Displays

Absen HC Pro II curved LED screens

Barco Clickshare CX-30 wireless presentation system

Dell SE2722H monitors

Epson EB-695Wi interactive projectors

LG LAT140 transparent LED film, Ultra Stretch 88BH7G 88-in information displays

Infokiosk S-KVS5T touch screen kiosk

Newline 86-in display

Poly Studio X50 videobar, G7500 videoconferencing system

Polywall Enterprise VSN1172-RPSU graphic controllers

RGBlink RGB20X-POE-WH PTZ cameras

Vestel UHM55UH82?/4? 55-in information displays, Vestel WY55B2H panels, XN98A-3H information displays, UHM75UH83B/4 displays

Control

Brightsign media players [WHICH?]

Extron IPCP Pro 350 integrated control processor, TLP Pro 725T desktop touch panel

 


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