Nokia and Swiss Federal Railways (SBB) have completed a proof of concept trial to help define radio frequency for the new Future Railway Mobile Communication System (FRMCS) standard.
The latest rail communication standard moves from broadly adopted GSM-R to FRMCS standard, with 5G as a key foundational technology.
As part of the collaboration, Nokia carried out LTE 1900MHz TDD (Time Division Duplex) radio frequency testing with SBB in the cantons of Fribourg and Neuchâtel, Switzerland.
Due to be introduced in 2025, FRMCS will bring a host of benefits to rail operators and passengers. These include cost containment through increased utilization of existing infrastructure, enhanced levels of safety and security, and improved rail network performance and reliability.
In this frequency proof of concept, Nokia deployed remote radio heads, with tests using rolling stock specially equipped with measurement instruments.
The global leader in GSM-R deployments, Nokia has worked with SBB for more than 20 years, delivering end-to-end communications solutions and services over multiple technologies including GSM-R, IP/MPLS2 and Optical networks. Currently, the industry standard for rail communications, GSM-R does not provide the necessary bandwidth to deliver all the benefits that FRMCS will offer.
Jochen Apel, Head of Global Transportation, Nokia
SBB is at the forefront of work to define the FRMCS standard, which will provide a gateway to a new generation of rail industry innovation.
