Kapsch CarrierCom is ready to implement future-proof railway radio infrastructure

Railway operators are preparing for the shift from GSM-R to a future wireless standard of radio infrastructure. Kapsch CarrierCom is the perfect partner for a seamless migration as the company will showcase at the conference of the International Union of Railways (UIC), May 17 to 18, in Paris, France.

The successful transition to a future wireless standard is one of the biggest challenges for railway operators. Forward-thinking organisations are not betting on any particular technology, but are future-proofing their networks to accommodate emerging standards for operational radio applications. On an European level the Shift2Rail Joint Undertaking has initiated projects to address some of the key challenges for future advanced traffic management and control systems including the adaptable communication layer.

Enabling a seamless migration is also a key element within the work package for adaptable communications as part of the X2Rail-1 project under the Shift2Rail Joint Undertaking umbrella. The X2Rail-1 work is expected to provide a holistic view, specifications and prototypes to deliver a multi-access, heterogenous communication system, which coexists and can be migrated from the existing communication networks for railways. Kapsch CarrierCom is part of this European project.

Having implemented 15+ core networks worldwide for leading train operators like Network Rail in the United Kingdom, SCNF Réséau / Synerail in France as well as the German National Railways, Kapsch CarrierCom is the perfect partner to support customers in this challenging transition. This also includes future-proofing the radio networks with our already available next generation railway base stations, which offer seamless support for LTE or any future wireless standard that will be defined. “New railway applications need higher bandwidths, low latency and – most important – superior reliability”, says Michael Mikulandra, Head of Industry Appliance Next Generation at Kapsch CarrierCom.

Kapsch CarrierCom has just completed the industry’s first lab trials under railway specific conditions which enable the company to gather unique knowledge from verifying the theoretical projections with the reality. The outcomes of the trials show how a future wireless standard has to be adapted for operators preparing for a post GSM-R world. To minimise the risk of disruptions of mission-critical operations, Kapsch CarrierCom has developed a migration roadmap, which enables the interworking and co-existence of the next-generation radio infrastructure with the deployed GSM-R systems. Michael Mikulandra continues: “Both standards will work together, using the same frequency band and help to overcome spectrum shortage. Our Kapsch approach is to enable the co-existence of legacy and next-generation infrastructure, based on patented concepts dedicated to the railway environment.”

The end-to-end solution for a successful migration also includes Kapsch CarrierCom’s Railway Dedicated Network (RDN) solutions. By the implementation of RDN.core networks, the highest level of reliability and security can be guaranteed. The RDN.core is an all-IP solution built on the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) Release 4 (R4) and allows an easier adoption of emerging network technologies.

In addition, the RDN.base station provides up to 100% availability for mission-critical communications. With its modular design, the RDN.base station comprises Digital Modules (DMs) which can be connected to six Remote Radio Head (RRH) units via optical links. It can replace up to six last-generation base stations. Kapsch CarrierCom named its portfolio Railway Dedicated to underline that any RDN GSM-R product deployed today, has the next generation inside.

Further information will be presented by Michael Mikulandra and his team at the third World Conference on Rail Transport Telecoms powered by the UIC and co-hosted by the Railway Operational Communications Industry Group, of which Kapsch CarrierCom is a member.

About Kapsch CarrierCom

Kapsch CarrierCom, a Kapsch Group company, is a leading global producer, supplier and systems integrator of end-to-end telecommunications solutions. The company is pursuing the mission to shape the path for railway operators and carrier networks as well as for public authorities, public transport operators and airports to leverage technologies for their specific and often mission-critical communication demands. Its portfolio comprises innovative, business and mission-critical products, solutions and services, based on in-house research and development, completed with the portfolio of selected strategic partners. The expertise of Kapsch CarrierCom covers, amongst others, solutions for the next generation of mission-critical communication, digitalization of railways, and virtualization in the communication domain.
The family-owned Kapsch company, with headquarters in Vienna, celebrates its 125th jubilee in 2017 and thus its long-term success story in the development and implementation of new technologies for the benefit of its customers.