Nokia deploys world-first 5G solution to support mission-critical railway needs

The telecoms company has teamed up with Deutsche Bahn (DB), Germany’s national railway company, to deploy the world’s first commercial 1900 MHz (n101) 5G radio network solution.

With a 5G Standalone (5G SA) core running on live outdoor test tracks, Nokia is eager to ensure that railways remain interoperable, efficient and future-ready.

Such an industry breakthrough will position DB to leverage a modern mobile network on a frequency band that is dedicated to 5G railway communications in Europe. It also serves as a basis for the Future Railway Mobile Communication System (FRMCS), which is designed to support resilient, efficient and more sustainable rail operations through greater digitalisation, capacity and service reliability.

“Deutsche Bahn wants to benefit from modern 5G-based telecommunications to upgrade the railway communication infrastructure. Collaborating with technology experts like Nokia is key for DB to bring the latest innovations into our real-world operations,” said Rainer Fachinger, head of telecom platforms at DB InfraGO.

“This deployment on test tracks builds on a successful pre-FRMCS 5G trial conducted with Nokia and aims to standardise our private mobile network as a foundation for further pilots and future rollout.”

The deployment marks a significant step in the railway industry’s transition from the legacy Global System for Mobile Communications for Railway (GSM-R) to the 5G-based FRMCS standard designed for real-time, mission-critical communications between infrastructure and trains.

FRMCS is built to support full railway automation and integrates advanced technologies like AI and underpins a more competitive, capable and future-ready industry.

The technology is being implemented at DB’s digital railway test field in the Ore Mountains in Germany. Nokia said key features include built-in failover, self-healing capabilities and real-time monitoring to ensure high availability and efficiency.

The solution will also be used for the European FP2-MORANE-2 project, which evolves from earlier FRMCS initiatives to advance the digitalisation of rail across Europe.

The contract extends Deutsche Bahn’s ongoing test trials with Nokia’s 5G SA core and 3700 MHz (n78) radio network, while upgrading to a new solution that includes Nokia’s 1900 MHz (n101) 5G radio network equipment from its AirScale portfolio and optimised 5G SA core. Nokia said the smooth migration is set to deliver the high reliability and low latency needed for modern rails.

“Nokia and DB have been frontrunners in advancing FRMCS. We are proud to deliver the first-ever commercial 5G solution that utilises the 1900 MHz spectrum band on the rail track,” said Rolf Werner, head of europe at Nokia.

“This is a milestone that will unlock key benefits for DB, including automated train operations, smart maintenance and intelligent infrastructure and stations. We believe this launch will serve as an important benchmark for FRMCS upgrades in rail networks around the world in the coming years.”

New alliance to deliver biggest upgrade to rail telecoms in a generation