Skip to main content

Future Spectrum Demand for Rail Communications

Back in March, the UK Spectrum Policy Forum (UK SPF) held an event looking at what does the future look like for rail communications and what does it mean for spectrum policy? It explored the spectrum and technology possibilities for the future passenger and operational communications of the rail sector.

The following is a summary from the event roundup:

  • The session opened with the changing landscape of railway communications, notably the transition to the new Future Railway Mobile Communication System (FRMCS), the successor of the Global System for Mobile Communications – Railway (GSM-R). This is set to be rolled out in the coming years and should allow the railway sector to better leverage the latest communications technology.
  • New rail related use cases and applications have been identified over the past few years increasing the demands on spectrum which can no longer be handled by GSM-R. The increasing number of performance related use cases include energy efficient driving, video surveillance (non-critical CCTV) and predictive maintenance and operations intelligence that will lead to reducing operational costs, among others.  
  • As of today, there is neither a single technical nor a proven commercial case that aligns all corridor connectivity under a single spectrum solution. There are multiple solutions and likely to be different business models that will satisfy all the use cases but this requires close collaboration across government, the rail industry and the telecoms industry.
  • There was general consensus amongst the workshop participants that spectrum is not a major hurdle to ensure operational and passenger connectivity, as technology can solve the connectivity challenges.
  • FRMCS and GSM-R will coexist in the 900 MHz band for at least a decade until GSM-R operation is phased out and eventually FRMCS can be extended to the 2x5.6 MHz bandwidth available. In addition,  the unpaired 1900 MHz frequency band has recently been harmonised for FRMCS by European bodies.
  • However, 1900 – 1920 MHz was auctioned to MNOs in the UK, and the harmonised FRMCS band at 1900 - 1910 MHz is currently allocated to EE. The UK SPF Cluster 1 workshop prompted discussions on how – if possible ­– the  rail sector could gain access to the band under the existing regulations.
  • Moreover, in addition to MNO connectivity, the high-capacity requirements of passenger connectivity could be addressed in future through other frequency ranges, including but not limited to 3.8-4.2 GHz, 5 GHz or mmWave bands like 26 GHz or 66 GHz noting further regulatory developments would be needed. 
  • There was consensus that the lack of MNO coverage is still a major complaint by rail passengers, however a few speakers pointed out that there is an increasing need for capacity, given the existing and forecast growth in mobile data driven mainly by media streaming, as well as uplink-focused use cases.
  • The workshop was a timely reminder that the business case for passenger related rail connectivity along all routes continued to be a challenge, until recently with news of a mobile and fixed connectivity solution along the Brighton Mainline which might serve as a model for the future.
  • It was suggested that the introduction of coverage obligations could lead to greater investment on the railway.
  • Neutral hosts may also help with flexible financial conditions and shared investments, while other technologies, such as satellite, could also extend coverage and capacity in rural areas and branch lines.

The available slides can be downloaded from here. The presentation by Matthew Baker, Head of Radio Physical Layer & Coexistence Standardisation, Nokia Standards, looks at FRMCS Standardisation in 3GPP for 5G NR.

Related Posts: 

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Laser Inter-Satellite Links (LISLs) in a Starlink Constellation

When we first talked about Starlink back in 2019 , we saw in the video that the concept involved laser communication to communicate between the satellites. While the initially launched satellites did not have the laser communication mechanism built in, it looks like they are being added to the newer ones.  A report from Fast Company in late 2021 said: One of the next big upgrades in telecom will involve satellites firing lasers at each other—to beam data, not blow stuff up. The upside of replacing traditional radio-frequency communication with lasers, that encode data as pulses of light, can be much like that of deploying fiber-optic cable for terrestrial broadband: much faster speeds and much lower latency. “Laser links in orbit can reduce long-distance latency by as much as 50%, due to higher speed of light in vacuum & shorter path than undersea fiber,” SpaceX founder Elon Musk tweeted in July about the upgrade now beginning for that firm’s Starlink satellite constellation. The
1 comment
Read more

IEEE 802.11bn Ultra High Reliability (UHR), a.k.a. Wi-Fi 8

Back in 2020 we looked at the introductory post of Wi-Fi 7 which was followed up by a more detailed post in Feb 2022. We are now following on with an introductory post on the next generation Wi-Fi.  A new paper on arXiv explores the journey towards IEEE 802.11bn Ultra High Reliability (UHR), the amendment that will form the basis of Wi-Fi 8. Quoting selected items from the paper  below: After providing an overview of the nearly completed Wi-Fi 7 standard, we present new use cases calling for further Wi-Fi evolution. We also outline current standardization, certification, and spectrum allocation activities, sharing updates from the newly formed UHR Study Group. We then introduce the disruptive new features envisioned for Wi-Fi 8 and discuss the associated research challenges. Among those, we focus on access point coordination and demonstrate that it could build upon 802.11be multi-link operation to make Ultra High Reliability a reality in Wi-Fi 8. The IEEE 802.11bn UHR: Whose Study Gro
Post a Comment
Read more

NTT Docomo's Disaster Countermeasures to Keep People Connected

Recently I blogged about Disaster Roaming in 3GPP Release-17. While this will take time to be implemented worldwide, it is already available in Japan, maybe not in the 3GPP standardised way. Similarly, back in 2011, I blogged about Earthquake and Tsunami Warning service (ETWS) from NTT Docomo's Journal, it was two days before the  2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami hit. Japan is no stranger to earthquakes, typhoons, and other natural disasters, which can have a devastating effect on infrastructure. To ensure that the mobile networks keep functioning, operators work extremely hard to ensure people remain connected one way or another. NTT Docomo has released a video detailing the countermeasures to keep everyone connected in case of emergencies. The following detail is provided with the video: DOCOMO's network is no exception, and our services could get cut off by a base station power outage, disconnected fiber-optic cable, or other malfunctions. DOCOMO established the three pr
Post a Comment
Read more