{"id":5908,"date":"2024-07-08T04:21:11","date_gmt":"2024-07-08T02:21:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.systra.com\/australia\/?post_type=expert_insights&p=5908"},"modified":"2024-10-17T06:59:52","modified_gmt":"2024-10-17T04:59:52","slug":"the-future-of-radio-communications-in-railways","status":"publish","type":"expert_insights","link":"https:\/\/www.systra.com\/australia\/expert_insights\/the-future-of-radio-communications-in-railways\/","title":{"rendered":"FRMCS: The Future of Radio Communications in railways"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

As the rail industry prepares for the incoming Future Radio Mobile Communication System (FRMCS) to become the global norm, since the 1990s, three competing mobile radio systems have been deployed around the world to support the mission-critical communications.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Based on the second generation (2G) mobile telephony standard, the Global System for Mobile Communications-Railway (GSM-R) standard has been the basis for mission-critical voice communications for many mainline railways across the world, as well as the standard radio bearer for in-cab signalling and train control solutions based on the European Train Control System (ETCS) standard.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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On mass transit urban transport metros, the most successful technologies have been based on the Terrestrial Trunked Radio (TETRA) standard for voice, while Communications-Based Train Control (CBTC) systems have typically been deployed over dedicated Wi-Fi networks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Both GSM-R and TETRA were defined as standards in 1994, and solutions based on either standard are reaching a point in the product life cycle where component obsolescence will make the long-term life support of those networks not viable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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To address these obsolescence issues, the International Railway Union (UIC) has entered into partnership with the international mobile telephony standardisation body 3rd<\/sup> Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), to define new standards for a successor railway mobile communications technology<\/a>. These set of standards define a new mobile communications solution called Future Railway Mobile Communication System (FRMCS).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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What is FRMCS, and why will we hear much more about it?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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FRMCS consists of a set of standards issued by UIC and 3GPP that define a radio agnostic voice and data transport solution for all mission-critical radio applications. This transport layer is based on existing 4G and 5G Mission Critical Services (MCX) standards, with the addition of a set of railway specific features, such as Railway Emergency Calls, a standard interface to ETCS, and border crossing capabilities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The UIC has defined a migration path from 2025 until 2035 that will see existing GSM-R radio networks being transitioned and replaced by new FRMCS systems over 5G mobile networks. Railway operators across the world and technology suppliers are gearing up for this transition, and Australian railways are also starting to define their own migration strategies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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This migration will require investments that, in Australia alone, will be measured in the hundreds of millions of dollars, if not billions. Similar levels of investment will be replicated across all continents.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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A critical stepping stone to an innovative future<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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FRMCS will provide five critical features to railway operators:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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