The 'Gigabit Innovation Track' (GINT) project, funded by the
With the help of 5G mobile technology, rail passengers should be able to communicate, work or relax while watching a film on the move in the future, just as they are used to at home. According to experts, this will require data rates of up to 5 gigabits per second per train by the early 2030s. That is multiple times greater than the data rates possible with today's LTE technology.
This means a paradigm shift for the expansion of mobile communications: railway lines need a high-performance 5G connection in addition to the general 5G expansion in the area, as high data rates require large channel bandwidths that are only available at higher frequencies. The 3.6 gigahertz frequencies from O2
The GINT project is therefore testing 5G mobile radio coverage via special radio masts along the tracks. The future 5G-based railway radio system, the Future Rail Mobile Communication System (FRMCS), will also need such masts. Around 20,000 new masts will be needed for FRMCS along the railway tracks throughout
Mobile radio corridors can be realized quickly and easily if the parties involved work together in a goal-oriented manner.
The innovative radio masts developed by
Standardized bases compensate for slope inclinations etc.; they are anchored in the ground to save time.
One construction team can erect up to three bases per day, and one construction team can also erect up to three radio masts per day. Only a rail excavator is required to erect a mast including antennas on the prepared base frame. Erection from land or by helicopter is also possible.
Thanks to the close and trusting cooperation between the project partners, with Regio Infra Nordost (RIN) as the infrastructure operator, the local authorities and the BMDV as the funding organization, it took less than eight months from the project kick-off to commissioning of the approximately 12 km long test track in
Mobile phone corridors along railway tracks are efficient and resource-saving.
The new type of masts are anchored in the ground, so there is no need to pour expensive foundations. This saves concrete and CO2.
At around 15 meters high, the masts for mobile radio corridors along the tracks blend into the landscape. In many places, there is even no need for the often lengthy authorization procedures
The masts can be used jointly for mobile radio and the future railway radio FRMCS. There are considerable synergies between the digitalization of rail operations and high-speed data connections for passengers.
Initial practical checks confirm the calculations and preliminary work.
The ultra-modern antennas close to the track transmit the radio signal to and into the train.
The network configuration was successfully transferred from theory to the real test environment. Initial measurements of data transmission on the track give grounds for optimism for further detailed tests.
In the coming months, test runs at speeds of up to 140 km/h are planned with DB's laboratory train, the advanced
In addition, multiple input, multiple output (MIMO) antenna technology and beamforming are being tested, in which mobile radio signals are directed towards the moving train and carried along. This allows radio signals to be optimized and the transmission systems to be operated in an energy-saving manner. Tests with the interconnection of several radio cells into one (so-called 'combined radio') are intended to show how the switching between radio cells can be reduced and thus - especially at high speeds - even more stable connections are possible.
Daniela Kluckert, Parliamentary State Secretary at the BMDV: 'Laying the foundations today for the needs of tomorrow is one of the key tasks of politics. It is particularly important now not to let up on the expansion of mobile communications. After all, the data rates required by travelers will increase significantly in the foreseeable future. Above all, however, train operations of the future will become significantly more digital and therefore more data-intensive. The insights gained in this project will help us to set the course for a needs-based expansion and to master the transition to the next generation of mobile communications seamlessly. Because one thing is clear: years of frustration due to numerous dead spots that can only be closed with an enormous effort must not happen again.'
Dr
Contact:
Tel: +46 10 719 00 00
(C) 2024 Electronic News Publishing, source