EUROPE: Telecoms component specialist Funkwerk Systems says it has reached several important milestones on the path to standards-compliant implementation of FRMCS.
The company reports that in July and August, it undertook extensive tests and demonstrations in its own laboratory environment as well as field trials delivered in partnership with railways in Belgium and Germany.
The milestones met included the implementation of the multipath protocol to ensure uninterrupted voice and data communication; support for railway-specific 5G frequencies; communication interfaces within the FRMCS components (application software, antennas, radio modules and gateways); and the provision of appropriate hardware components.
Funkwerk says its accredited laboratory area has been revamped in recent months to provide all the necessary test options in a modern working environment. In addition to a 5G test environment in the form of a dedicated campus network and measurement technology covering the railway frequencies n100/n101, this also includes a connection to the European Telecommunications Standards Institute’s interoperable test environment, to several development partners and to the test site developed by DB InfraGO on a railway in the Erzgebirge mountains in southeast Germany.
At the test site, Funkwerk demonstrated how its gateway can serve several 5G networks simultaneously and handle the data stream without interruption and in an interoperable manner. Its gateway product was also used to highlight a use case involving virtual coupling of freight trains. The secure transmission of control data between several vehicles travelling information was achieved, and Funkwerk has received approval for extended test operation. This involves equipping additional vehicles and training personnel. The extended trials will also require the company to show proof of compliance with more stringent cybersecurity requirements, in line with the upcoming European Cyber Resilience Act.
