At this week’s InnoTrans show in Berlin, Ericsson is demonstrating how railway operators can move the 5G-based Future Railway Mobile Communication System (FRMCS) from testing towards future deployment.

Ericsson is showing a practical path to get there, supporting migration from GSM-R and enabling critical operations and passenger connectivity on one secure network.

The Ericsson showcase at the event brings together findings from FP2-Morane-2 – the European programme validating FRMCS through field trials along live railway lines – with deployment and planning experience from recent rail projects.

While Europe is leading the FRMCS transition, significant opportunities for future railway communications are also emerging globally, including in India and Australia. These include a communications network in Queensland, Australia, where Ericsson is deploying the 5G-enabled digital radio system as part of the first stage of The Wave, a transformative public transport and rail infrastructure programme connecting Brisbane and the Sunshine Coast.

On the Ericsson stand, visitors can see the building blocks of an end-to-end rollout from radio planning and coverage verification to device, interoperability and field testing, and how one standards-based 5G network can serve train control, operational communications, trackside applications and passenger broadband with predictable performance, resilience and security.

“Railway operators know the destination – FRMCS – but need a clear route to get there,” said Torsten Hunte, head of mission-critical networks rail at Ericsson (www.ericsson.com). “At InnoTrans, we will show how European interoperability testing and deployment experience can help rail operators move forward with a secure 5G network for mission-critical operations and passenger services. Beyond Europe, opportunities are also emerging in markets such as India and Australia.”

The Ericsson demo at InnoTrans comes as Europe’s rail sector prepares to replace the ageing GSM-R system. FP2-Morane-2 (www.fp2morane2.eu) is now validating FRMCS connectivity, GSM-R interworking and multi-vendor interoperability in three integration laboratories ahead of field trials – key steps towards specifications that can support future European deployment.

InnoTrans (www.innotrans.de) runs from 22 to 25 September at Messe Berlin in Germany. Ericsson is on stand 710 in Hall 4.1.