GSM-R

GSM-R, Global System for Mobile Communications – Railway or GSM-Railway is an international wireless communications standard for railway communication and applications.

A sub-system of European Rail Traffic Management System (ERTMS), it is used for communication between train and railway regulation control centers. The system is based on GSM and EIRENE – MORANE specifications which guarantee performance at speeds up to 500 km/h (310 mph), without any communication loss.

GSM-R could be supplanted by LTE-R,[1] with the first production implementation being in South Korea.[2] However, LTE is generally considered to be a "4G" protocol, and the UIC's Future Railway Mobile Communication System (FRMCS) program[3] is considering moving to something "5G"-based (specifically 3GPP R15/16, i.e. 5G NR),[4] thus skipping two technological generations.[5][6]

GSM-R mast and cabinet, Abergavenny, Wales
GSM-R Repeater at Dean Clough, Bolton, NW England
GSM-R directional antennas pointing into the east end of the Freudenstein tunnel, Germany
GSM-R 'Shark's-Fin' Mobile Antenna as fitted to a substantial amount of UK rail motive power
  1. ^ Tracy, Phillip (15 November 2016). "Meet LTE-R, the network responsible for next-generation smart trains". RCR Wireless News.
  2. ^ "Nokia to install LTE-R for railway services in South Korea". Mobile Europe. 14 November 2016. Archived from the original on 4 December 2018. Retrieved 14 August 2017.
  3. ^ Mandoc, Dan; Evanghelou, Jean-Michel (4 May 2020). "FRMCS: More than just a successive replacement for GSM-R". Global Railway Review. Russell Publishing Ltd.
  4. ^ Kessell, Clive (30 January 2019). "GSM-R: a migration strategy to its successor?". Rail Engineer. Archived from the original on 22 February 2019.
  5. ^ Smith, Kevin (1 March 2017). "Beyond GSM-R: the future of railway radio". International Rail Journal. Simmons-Boardman Publishing Inc. Archived from the original on 8 May 2017.
  6. ^ Kessell, Clive (14 May 2018). "A General Perspective of 5G". Rail Engineer. Archived from the original on 12 October 2018. Retrieved 4 December 2018.