Tendersinfo keep you informed about the latest events in the national and international Procurement Industry. Procurement News provides in-depth coverage of the procurement industry, including contract awards, contract additions, new contract wins, mergers and acquisitions. Tendersinfo through its tender news section provides an update on all domestic and global tendering opportunities, invitation to bid & trade leads.

Publish Date : 19-Mar-2020

Nokia and Swiss Federal Railways have completed a proof of concept trial to help define radio frequency for the new Future
Railway Mobile Communication System (FRMCS) standard.

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.

Robert Badertscher, Head of Connectivity at smartrail 4.0, SBB said: “This proof of concept project is a major contribution
to delivering FRMCS as essential enabler for  smartrail 4.0,  which is an industry-wide initiative to prepare Swiss railways to
modernize the rail system. The result sets an important direction in terms of FRMCS frequencies for the industry program’s
goal to exploit the potential of new, emerging technologies for the railways of the future.”

When fully deployed, FRMCS will be capable of handling the huge volumes of information that underpin new services such
as improving the capacity of the existing tracks.

Jochen Apel, Head of Global Transportation, Nokia said: “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. This proof of concept will also contribute to
work that both SBB and Nokia are carrying out with other rail companies to ensure all the benefits of FRMCS are realized
for operators and passengers.”

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/MPLS 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.

Apel added: “This work is essential to enable a smooth transition to international deployment of FRMCS and is fundamental
to unleashing the potential that the new standard will deliver across security, safety and productivity. Nokia is also working
with rail companies elsewhere in Europe as they explore how 5G and digital transformation can enhance customer services
and operational efficiency.”

smartrail 4.0 is a joint endeavor involving SBB, BLS, Schweizerische Sudostbahn AG, the Rhaetian Railway, Transports
publics fribourgeois and the Union of Public Transport. The smartrail 4.0 program is a collaboration that aims to prepare
Swiss railways for the digital future.

Go to previous page