Report

Radio System Definition 2018

REC-129 v 1.0

Making the railway system

work better for society.

Report
Evolution of Railway Radio Communication: System Definition

Drafted by Validated by Approved by

Chiel Spaans
Thomas Chatelet
Name Felice Ferrari Pio Guido
Begona Domingo
Wouter Malfait
Position Project officers Team leader Head of Rail Systems

Date 17/12/2018 19/12/2018 19/12/2018

Signature Original is signed Original is signed Original is signed

Document History
Version Date Comments
0.1 18 May 2018 Initial version
0.1.2 – 0.1.4 June - September 2018 Working document versions
0.1.5 26 October Draft version for stakeholder review
0.1.6 23 November Internal working version
0.1.7 7 December 2018 Inclusion of feedback from stakeholders
1.0 17 December 2018 Final version

1
EUROPEAN UNION AGENCY FOR RAILWAYS Report

Radio System Definition 2018

REC-129 v 1.0

Contents
1. Introduction ........................................................................................................................................ 3
1.1. Purpose of the Report ......................................................................................................................... 3
1.2. Problem description ............................................................................................................................ 3
1.3. Scope of the System Definition ........................................................................................................... 3
1.4. Methodology ....................................................................................................................................... 4
2. Opportunities and constraints ............................................................................................................ 5
2.1. Opportunities ...................................................................................................................................... 5
2.2. Constraints .......................................................................................................................................... 6
3. Conclusions on System Definition ....................................................................................................... 7
3.1. Functionality........................................................................................................................................ 7
3.2. Technology .......................................................................................................................................... 7
3.3. Radio Spectrum ................................................................................................................................... 8
3.4. Migration............................................................................................................................................. 9
4. Risks...................................................................................................................................................11
4.1. Risks related to availability of specifications with relevance for the CCS TSI ...................................11
4.2. Risks related to deployment of the successor of GSM-R ..................................................................11
4.3. Recommended actions......................................................................................................................12
5. Next steps..........................................................................................................................................13
Annex 1 Reference documents .......................................................................................................................15
Annex 2 Involved organisations ......................................................................................................................16
Annex 3 Functionality aspects.........................................................................................................................19
Annex 4 Technology aspects ...........................................................................................................................22
Annex 5 Spectrum aspects ..............................................................................................................................25
Annex 6 Migration aspects..............................................................................................................................29

120 Rue Marc Lefrancq | BP 20392 | FR-59307 Valenciennes Cedex 2 / 31

Tel. +33 (0)327 09 65 00 | era.europa.eu
Any printed copy is uncontrolled. The version in force is available on Agency’s intranet/extranet.
EUROPEAN UNION AGENCY FOR RAILWAYS Report

Radio System Definition 2018

REC-129 v 1.0

1. Introduction

1.1. Purpose of the Report

The purpose of this Report is to provide high-level information on the main elements of the System Definition
for the successor system of GSM-R. The information contains conclusions that will be the basis for further
development of system as well as for the preparation of the CCS TSI update which will be necessary to allow
the use of other systems than GSM-R.
The development of the future radio system is one of the “game changers” identified in the ERTMS Longer
Term Perspective document, presented to the Rail Interoperability and Safety Committee in 2016.
The main elements considered as relevant for a system definition are functionality, technology, spectrum
and conditions for migration; these elements determine the scope of this document. The possible
redefinition of the ETCS onboard architecture to allow modular communication is not in scope of this report.
The conclusions for the System Definition included in this Report are based upon the information available
as per mid December 2018.

1.2. Problem description

In Europe, the EU legal framework for railways – in particular the Control Command System Technical
Specification for Interoperability (CCS TSI) - defines GSM-R as the radio system to be used for train-to-track
voice communication and for ETCS data communication.
While GSM-R is widely spread across Europe as well as in other parts of the world, some vendors of the supply
industry have indicated that obsolescence of GSM-R (e.g. due to aspects like component availability) might
be a risk on the longer term, and replacement has to be prepared. The current situation is that general
support of GSM-R will be guaranteed until at least 2030, while some tenders and individual contracts require
extensions till 2035. The Railway sector expects that the full migration from GSM-R to the successor system
may take at least 8 to 10 years, depending on the size of the network and the impacted rolling stock. Hence,
replacement of GSM-R should start mid next decade in order to prevent risks for the continuity of GSM-R
based communication.
Another trigger for considering a successor to GSM-R is the expected increase in communication demands
due to further implementation of ETCS, notably in large station areas, and the digitalisation of railways.
Although GSM-R has the possibility to increase its capacity by using packet switching technology (GPRS), the
overall capacity of GSM-R will be too limited.
The Commission has tasked the Agency, in its role as system authority for ERTMS (Article 28 Regulation
2016/796) to prepare the introduction of new radio systems, in addition to, and, in a later stage, as
replacement for GSM-R, for communication functions as defined in the CCS TSI. It has been agreed that ERA
project provides a status report on the definition of the new system in 2018 and timely prepares input for an
update in the CCS TSI planned for 2022.

1.3. Scope of the System Definition

The scope of the ERA project covers solutions/systems related to the essential requirements and basic
parameters of the radio part in the CCS TSI: the main applications of the current radio system, as defined in
the CCS TSI, are considered as reference, and co-existence with these applications has to be ensured.
However, the new system shall be capable to support future changes and extensions of the applications
covered by the CCS TSI, as well as applications covered in other TSI’s. Also voice and data applications outside

120 Rue Marc Lefrancq | BP 20392 | FR-59307 Valenciennes Cedex 3 / 31

Tel. +33 (0)327 09 65 00 | era.europa.eu
Any printed copy is uncontrolled. The version in force is available on Agency’s intranet/extranet.
EUROPEAN UNION AGENCY FOR RAILWAYS Report

Radio System Definition 2018

REC-129 v 1.0

TSI’s, in particular those related to further digitalisation of railways, will be taken into account, as these could
contribute to the business case for the introduction of the successor of GSM-R.
Note that in this report the term FRMCS (abbreviation for Future/Flexible Railway Mobile Communication
System) is used for the successor of GSM-R. This term is already widely accepted and used inside and outside
railways (e.g. 3GPP, ETSI).

1.4. Methodology
1.4.1. Organisation
In 2015, ERA started its project on evolution of railway radio communication in order to prepare the system
definition and the CCS TSI update. As part of this project, a specific working group has been established, in
order to facilitate the overall coordination of multiple initiatives and activities related to the evolution of
railway radio, and to monitor the progress. This working group is attended by representatives of the rail
sector organisations (CER, EIM, ERFA, UITP), the ERTMS User Group, the supply industry (UNISIG, ROC IG),
UIC, ETSI and Shift2Rail IP2. Each of these working group members contribute e.g. by position papers,
technical papers and progress reports.
Annex 2 contains a brief description of the main contributors and the interworking between them.

1.4.2. Results
This Report reflects the overall conclusions ERA has extrapolated from the information gathered in the
working group and takes into account the feedback from the members of this group on the draft conclusions.
The draft report (without annexes) was distributed to the Coordination Radio WG members for their
feedback on October 29. Comments in writing have been received from UNISIG, EIM, ROC IG, CER and UIC
and S2R. The feedback was intensively discussed in the Coordination radio meeting on 22/11. The results of
this meeting have been included in the final report.

120 Rue Marc Lefrancq | BP 20392 | FR-59307 Valenciennes Cedex 4 / 31

Tel. +33 (0)327 09 65 00 | era.europa.eu
Any printed copy is uncontrolled. The version in force is available on Agency’s intranet/extranet.
EUROPEAN UNION AGENCY FOR RAILWAYS Report

Radio System Definition 2018

REC-129 v 1.0

2. Opportunities and constraints

2.1. Opportunities
The GSM-R system is relying on a technology that was defined in the mid 90’s. Although very robust and very
convenient in terms of interoperability, performance and functionality, and satisfying the current operational
needs of railways, GSM-R and its allocated spectrum has a couple of intrinsic limitations, such as limited
capacity and scalability. GSM-R has some embedded railway specific features, which, from a functional
perspective, makes it complicated to create extension of capacity by using public networks maintaining the
functionality; also, the use of commercial off the shelf equipment (e.g. smartphones) is problematic. In this
way, GSM-R can be seen as a niche market, which leads to a small market for users and suppliers and thus
suboptimal economic situations.
On the other hand, the use of mobile communication, both terrestrial and satellite, has evolved dramatically
during the last decade. In particular, the uncoupling of functionality and radio bearer technology has resulted
in an extremely flexible and expandable ecosystem of hundreds of types of user devices and thousands of
apps, which are capable to use any kind of radio networks. In many domains, mobile communication and
innovative applications are in use or under development.
The technical developments in radio communication, as included in 3GPP roadmaps and the EU ambitions
and strategy as laid down in the EU 5G Action Plan1, are intended to facilitate functional improvements in
terms of capacity, latency, performance and efficiency for data communication in different verticals markets,
such as Internet of Things, Critical communications and Intelligent Transport. Railways, when defining the
successor of GSM-R, can benefit from these developments.
Specific for Railways, expansion of the deployment of ERTMS, further digitalisation and automation are the
expectations from EU and many infrastructure managers and railway undertakings. Considering the - yet
unknown - increase of mobile communication demands in railways, the system concept shall be very flexible,
in terms of bearer technology independency in such a way to be immune from the dramatic evolution of the
telecom sector, scalable, expandable, and finally more sustainable from the economic point of view. This
requires a state-or-art architecture which does not only include the latest technologies, but also allow the
introduction of future technologies. The anticipated update of the radio system is also an opportunity to
introduce a clear split between applications and radio systems, in particular for the current ETCS and voice
applications, in order to achieve independency in the respective long term technical and implementation
roadmaps and life cycles. It would also enable the paradigm shift from “network as an asset” to “network as
a service”.
The overall architecture of the radio system should support the use of dedicated railway communication
networks, as well as commercial public networks in situations/areas where these networks can fulfil the
railway requirements for e.g. service availability, without functional, performance or even safety
degradation. This is in line with the EU 5G Action Plan, which encourages all stakeholders to consider 5G, and
to use commercial networks also in support of Public Safety and Security Services (e.g. TETRA or GSM-R). In
addition, in specific cases, the use of non-3GPP systems such as wifi and satellite communication could be
beneficial.
The definition and introduction of FRMCS will cope with these trends, providing sufficient flexibility in terms
of functionality, capacity and performance, and allowing cost reduction by using commercial mainstream
telecom technologies, products and/or services, while keeping interoperability.

1
Brussels, 14.9.2016 COM(2016) 588 final: An Action Plan {SWD(2016) 306 final}
120 Rue Marc Lefrancq | BP 20392 | FR-59307 Valenciennes Cedex 5 / 31
Tel. +33 (0)327 09 65 00 | era.europa.eu
Any printed copy is uncontrolled. The version in force is available on Agency’s intranet/extranet.
EUROPEAN UNION AGENCY FOR RAILWAYS Report

Radio System Definition 2018

REC-129 v 1.0

2.2. Constraints
Due to the large implementation of GSM-R, the time needed to update on-board and trackside installations
and the related investments, a fast switchover from GSM-R to FRMCS will be virtually impossible; hence the
EU wide transition to the new system may take up to a decade. The window for migration is related to the
earliest possible availability of new products, expected around 2023, and to the latest possible guaranteed
support for GSM-R for both on-board and trackside systems, somewhere between 2030 and 2035. However,
in the meantime, infrastructure managers are considering how to equip new railway lines, because there is
little point to invest in a nearly obsolete technology. This may lead to the situation that the start of
implementation of FRMCS and decommissioning of GSM-R in different MS or on different lines may differ
more than 10 years.
Related to the potential to use commercial public networks, the railway stakeholders currently lack certainty
on if third party service suppliers (e.g. MNO) could meet on all railway lines the quality of service
requirements that critical railway applications require. Nevertheless, the system definition will not exclude
the possibility for IMs to use this option, at least for non-critical applications and/or secondary lines.
Another constraint is related to the financial impact of the introduction of new dedicated networks while
maintaining and supporting the existing ones. For IM’s, the reuse of existing assets (e.g. base station sites)
can reduce the costs for implementation of the new system dramatically. For RU’s, following the
economic/technical life cycles of the current on-board radio equipment, as well as combining other vehicle
upgrade activities (in particular related to ETCS and ATO) with radio upgrades, can prevent additional costs.

120 Rue Marc Lefrancq | BP 20392 | FR-59307 Valenciennes Cedex 6 / 31

Tel. +33 (0)327 09 65 00 | era.europa.eu
Any printed copy is uncontrolled. The version in force is available on Agency’s intranet/extranet.
EUROPEAN UNION AGENCY FOR RAILWAYS Report

Radio System Definition 2018

REC-129 v 1.0

3. Conclusions on System Definition

Based upon the input and achievements as per Q4 2018, such as rail sector position papers, requirement
specifications, studies, research results, technical developments in 3GPP and ETSI, spectrum regulation and
economic impact analysis, ERA is able to conclude on high level conclusions on System Definition for FRMCS.
In particular the UIC FRMCS project, S2R IP2 TD2.1 and ETSI TC RT have delivered essential input for this
report. Annex 1 contains a list of reference documents used for this Report.
The conclusions, endorsed by the involved stakeholders, are given in the subsequent sections below; it covers
four fields of interest, being functionality, technology, radio spectrum and migration.

3.1. Functionality

The conclusion is that FRMCS should offer, as a minimum, functionality for voice and data applications similar
to the functionality offered by GSM-R. This includes e.g. telephony functions, voice group and broadcast
communication, location dependent addressing, use of functional numbers (e.g. train-number) for addressing,
communication priority and pre-emption. FRMCS shall also be capable to support demanding data
applications with high quality of service requirements and/or high bandwidth demands. The correct level of
harmonisation of functionality should be determined and a minimum set should be included in the CCS TSI.
This approach will facilitate a smooth migration from operational point of view, with minimal impact on
existing applications such as driver – signaller voice communication, emergency communication and ETCS and
the related operational rules.

Analysis of the current use of GSM-R2 and collection of user expectations for future applications3 using mobile
communication have shown that the use of voice applications and emergency communication (Railway
Emergency Call) will remain stable or will decrease slowly, but the amount of data-applications will increase.
Some data applications will be relatively low-profile in terms of bandwidth or quality of service, other data
applications will require high bandwidth and high quality of service. An example of the last category is
automated train operation (ATO), which is getting increased attention and will require a significant
bandwidth in the case of autonomous driving (GoA4) or remote controlling, enlarging significantly the
performance requirements of the critical functions, e.g. due to the use of real-time video transmission.

3.2. Technology
The conclusion is to continue with the usage of radio systems as specified in 3GPP roadmaps in order to benefit
from global developments and standards, economies of scale and mature products. This approach has been
proven to be successful with the introduction of GSM-R. The ongoing work on ensuring that rail specific
requirements are “supported by design” by the generic specifications of 3GPP roadmap will ensure that a high
level of compliancy with railway needs will be achieved. The preferred solution at the start of the introduction
of FRMCS is based on a 5G platform. It would be beneficial if this platform can also support non-3GPP radio
technologies.

It has to be noted that the 3GPP roadmap specifications are not only covering the needs of the global
consumer and commercial operators’ market, but also include the specific requirements from the critical

2
Evaluation of the use of GSM-R for operational voice and emergency communication, ERA, April 2018
3
User Requirement Specification v 3.0.0, UIC, January 2018
120 Rue Marc Lefrancq | BP 20392 | FR-59307 Valenciennes Cedex 7 / 31
Tel. +33 (0)327 09 65 00 | era.europa.eu
Any printed copy is uncontrolled. The version in force is available on Agency’s intranet/extranet.
EUROPEAN UNION AGENCY FOR RAILWAYS Report

Radio System Definition 2018

REC-129 v 1.0

communication market, such as Public Protection and Disaster relief (PPDR, the “blue light” sector) and
Railways, starting within 3GPP Release 15 and going further steps in 3GPP Release 16 and 174. The inclusion
of railway requirements in 3GPP ensures the native management of the railway needs in various future
evolutions of 3GPP.

It is expected that during the migration from GSM-R to the new system, 5G will replace 4G (LTE) as the global
dominant technology. Hence the proposal is to consider 5G as the preferred technology at the start of the
introduction of FRMCS, both for generic architecture (on-board and trackside) and for radio technology. The
– maybe temporary - use of 4G radio technology could be allowed too, unless it is demonstrated that there
are unacceptable non-compliances to functional requirements, technical complications or economic impacts.

The proposal is to provide IP technology for all types of communication, based upon known protocols. Priority
and pre-emption must be supported for certain types of communication to ensure the prioritisation of certain
types of communication (i.e. critical applications such as ETCS). This is in line with the global trends in mobile
communication.

The clear separation of applications and communication services and networks, as well as the migration to a
full IP based communication architecture, offers the possibility to develop and maintain independently
applications (such as voice, ETCS, ATO and all kind of applications in the context of digitalisation of railways)
on one hand, and for the radio networks and radio devices on the other hand.

In order to achieve this flexibility for ETCS, a couple of options are currently under investigation. One of them
is the possibility to connect the legacy ETCS BL3 on-board with FRMCS on-board, to allow a smooth migration.
Another option is to introduce changes in the in the ETCS (non-safe) communication part. With these
concepts, it would not be required to re-certify ETCS on-board when the radio system is changed.

High level principles of the generic architecture for systems with CCS TSI relevance will be discussed with the
involved stakeholders in specific workshops organised by ERA. Research on a generic architecture for on-
board and trackside to demonstrate this concept is performed by Shift2Rail IP2 TD2.1.

Further investigation of the impact of the need to support multiple radio technologies on the on-board
equipment and antenna-system is addressed to identify the optimal catalogue of technologies.

3.3. Radio Spectrum

The conclusion is to promote the allocation of additional harmonised radio spectrum for railway specific radio
networks, which is sufficient to support the short and longer term railway radio communication needs and
technologies as described in the previous sections. This implies that the spectrum has to be available in time
to start the migration and has to enable the use of 5G or, where applicable, 4G radio technologies. In order
to limit the economic impact, the 900 MHz band is preferred. Additional spectrum may be required to extend
the system capacity where required. Although not all railways or Member States may have the same spectrum
needs, a certain degree of harmonisation (“catalog”) would be helpful for creating a coherent Single European
Railway Areas as well as to minimise the technical complexity and costs for supporting all spectrum options
on CCS TSI compliant trains

4
3GPP uses a system of parallel "Releases" which provide developers with a stable platform for the
implementation of features at a given point and then allow for the addition of new functionality in
subsequent Releases.
120 Rue Marc Lefrancq | BP 20392 | FR-59307 Valenciennes Cedex 8 / 31
Tel. +33 (0)327 09 65 00 | era.europa.eu
Any printed copy is uncontrolled. The version in force is available on Agency’s intranet/extranet.
EUROPEAN UNION AGENCY FOR RAILWAYS Report

Radio System Definition 2018

REC-129 v 1.0

EC has mandated ECC5 to report on the railway needs – applications, operational conditions, capacity,
performance, availability - and the potential spectrum options. The current main option is to allow railways
to use a part of the 900 MHz band (2x1.6 MHz, following a Decision on SRD6) in addition to the existing
spectrum (2x4 MHz already assigned to and used by GSM-R), to facilitate the introduction of FRMCS.
However, as the preferred 5G radio technology requires currently at least 2x5 MHz bandwidth, the proposed
additional spectrum does not allow the introduction of 5G from the beginning, unless 3GPP will adopt the
railway request to support smaller spectrum bandwidth, or specific technical solutions can be found to allow
the coexistence of GSM-R and 5G.
Although 4G/LTE is also defined for the use of the part of the spectrum planned (2x1.6 MHz is sufficient for
a 2x1.4 MHz LTE system), the scenario of starting with a 4G system and, after decommissioning of GSM-R,
migration to 5G, is raising questions on migration efficiency.

Other frequency bands which are under investigation by ECC, the 1900 MHz or the 2300 MHz band, can
provide sufficient spectrum for a 5G system, but using these higher frequencies may require a densification
of radio sites, creating a considerable economic impact when used for a complete network. On the other
hand, these bands could help to enhance the overall capacity on specific locations, e.g. in dense railway
networks, border areas and high-density areas.
An ECC Decision on the harmonised spectrum allocation for railways is expected around November 2020.
The potential spectrum options for dedicated railway networks mentioned above, and the potential use of
public networks, which may be different for MS, require a clear definition of frequencies to be supported by
on-board (and other radio) equipment in MS. It is worth considering to perform an analysis of the inclusion
of a list of intended frequencies, to be used in an MS, in the FRMCS section of the National Implementation
Plans (see section 3.4 below).

The railway sector has expressed their concerns about the significant negative economic impact of some of
the spectrum options (e.g. limited spectrum, higher frequency bands) or conditions (e.g. limitation of
transmitted power, improvement needed on the receivers to avoid interferences). These aspects could not
only have short term effects, such as jeopardising the pure reuse of the current GSM-R site for FRMCS (where
a decrease of inter-site distance would have a critical deployment cost impact), but also for the longer term,
referring to the Commissions’ incentives to promote railways as one of the solutions for CO2 reduction. Lack
of sufficient radio spectrum could conflict with these ambitions.

3.4. Migration
The conclusion is that the expected scenario for the technical migration is to use the general principle of
multimode on-board, supporting GSM-R and FRMCS as this migration scenario has the lowest economic
impact for the railway sector as a whole. This scenario needs coordination between the IM and the concerned
RUs to define the most optimal migration planning. This coordination of optimal migration planning will be
enforced within the future TSI CCS (chapter 7) and with some additional specific migration rules to enforce
the balancing of migration costs for all impacted RUs (minimising the retrofitting costs for existing GSM-R
equipped vehicles) and costs for IMs (minimising the costs to maintain multiple radio trackside systems).

The planned TSI CCS 2019 revision is expected to introduce some elements for the migration towards FRMCS
(as one of the ERTMS game changers) with following 2 references:
(1) If draft release specifications of the ERTMS game changers, as identified within ERA-REP-150,
are included in an Agency Opinion before the legal release planned in the year 2022, suppliers

5
RSCOM18-05 rev3 Final EC Mandate to CEPT on spectrum for FRMCS
6
Commission Implementing Decision (EU) 2018/1538 on the harmonisation of radio spectrum for use by
short-range devices within the 874-876 and 915-921 MHz frequency bands
120 Rue Marc Lefrancq | BP 20392 | FR-59307 Valenciennes Cedex 9 / 31
Tel. +33 (0)327 09 65 00 | era.europa.eu
Any printed copy is uncontrolled. The version in force is available on Agency’s intranet/extranet.
EUROPEAN UNION AGENCY FOR RAILWAYS Report

Radio System Definition 2018

REC-129 v 1.0

and early implementers shall use these draft release specifications in their pilots and shall
inform the Agency.
(2) The update of the national implementation plans shall take into account the introduction of
the next generation communication system(s), e.g. by indicating the date of start of
operation and, when applicable, the date of decommissioning of GSM-R on (parts of) the
Network.
The planned introduction of FRMCS legal release specifications is foreseen within the TSI CCS 2022. The
proposal is that notification of GSM-R decommissioning towards RU’s is made available well in advance, e.g.
minimum 5 years, in order to give sufficient time for RU’s to prepare the migration. The example of a
minimum retrofitting period of 5 years is defined with the assumption that there is no impact on the existing
ETCS B3R2 OBU equipped vehicles (link to on-board system architecture work stream).

Deviation from the minimum retrofitting requirement would only be allowed if an agreement is made
between all the impacted stakeholders (e.g. including potential use of financial compensation schemes).

Actually, there will be no obligation yet in the TSI CCS 2022 to install the successor of GSM-R on new or
upgraded lines or in new or upgraded vehicles without sufficient return of experience of first FRMCS
deployments and considering the expected different GSM-R implementation periods across Member States.
A generic obligation across Member States may cause a non-optimised economic impact.

120 Rue Marc Lefrancq | BP 20392 | FR-59307 Valenciennes Cedex 10 / 31

Tel. +33 (0)327 09 65 00 | era.europa.eu
Any printed copy is uncontrolled. The version in force is available on Agency’s intranet/extranet.
EUROPEAN UNION AGENCY FOR RAILWAYS Report

Radio System Definition 2018

REC-129 v 1.0

4. Risks
The current status of development of in particular technology and spectrum aspects is not in such a stage
that final conclusions on these aspects can be made. Hence, a couple of risks are identified by the different
stakeholders.

4.1. Risks related to availability of specifications with relevance for the CCS TSI
One of the main risks for the timely availability of technical specifications for the radio part of the successor
of GSM-R is that their finalisation can only start after the publication of an ECC Decision on radio spectrum
(expected end 2020), as it would have an influence on the definition of radio characteristics of FRMCS and
on some of the architecture aspects of on-board equipment. In order to mitigate this risk, it is recommended
that CEPT/ECC communicates with ETSI/3GPP as soon as possible to shorten this period. In addition, EC
should encourage transport administrations to validate with the National spectrum authorities the scenarios
considered for the migration.
There is also a risk that the functional and technical requirements, as set by the railways, will not be fully
covered by 3GPP specifications, or, due to heavy processes, will be delayed. In the case this risk occurs, which
will be known mid 2019, additional standardisation work – specific for railways – may be required. .. In order
to potentially limit the possible delays in standardisation, it is recommended to plan an assessment of the
railway requirements and, in parallel, to investigate technical alternative solutions. It is recommended if EC
issues a standardisation request to ETSI to develop specific technical specifications for FRMCS in ETSI TC RT,
covering this gap. This would also provide a better visibility on the availability of Standards to be considered
in the CCS TSI.
Until now, there is no clear identification of items which require specific activities for test and validation to
demonstrate compliancy to the requirements. It could be assumed that for many generic functions and
services, as defined in 3GPP and ETSI, no or minimum railway specific test activities are needed. However,
test and validation of railway specific items, such as applications, interfaces, interworking with GSM-R,
operational conditions, etcetera, - in particular those requirements with CCS TSI relevance - will be required.
Funding for these activities is not yet addressed, or not completely open to all supply industry. In the case
that validation (by demonstration and trials) is required for – a subset of - requirements, there is a
considerable risk of delays. EC should consider funding mechanisms for supply industry and stakeholders to
issue clear plans for test and validation.
In general, delays in the overall specification, standardisation and validation work will lead to delays the
delivery of reference documents for the CCS TSI and in commercial availability of products.

4.2. Risks related to deployment of the successor of GSM-R

Considering the scenario where the railway communications would rely partly or entirely on services offered
by third parties (e.g. public radio networks), there could be a risk to have additional requirements for on-
board equipment, or that those requirements would need to evolve to cope with the dynamics of the public
market.
In some of the spectrum scenarios, the anticipated spectrum will not be sufficient to allow railways to start
with a 5G based radio system, and temporary a 4G based system has to be deployed; thus a second migration
step would need to be performed after decommissioning of GSM-R. This scenario could lead to negative
impact on the overall business case for the introduction of FRMCS.
In general, it is currently not clear what are the possibilities and limitations of the modularity and
upgradeability of on-board equipment; this may create a risk of economic impact for RU’s in different
migration stages.
120 Rue Marc Lefrancq | BP 20392 | FR-59307 Valenciennes Cedex 11 / 31
Tel. +33 (0)327 09 65 00 | era.europa.eu
Any printed copy is uncontrolled. The version in force is available on Agency’s intranet/extranet.
EUROPEAN UNION AGENCY FOR RAILWAYS Report

Radio System Definition 2018

REC-129 v 1.0

4.3. Recommended actions

Related to the mitigation of the identified risks, ERA would like to address the following actions to EC:

1. EC to issue a standardisation request to ETSI to develop FRMCS specifications

2. EC to encourage transport administrations to validate with the national spectrum authorities the
scenarios considered for the migration and for the longer term.
3. EC to investigate funding mechanisms for test and validation

120 Rue Marc Lefrancq | BP 20392 | FR-59307 Valenciennes Cedex 12 / 31

Tel. +33 (0)327 09 65 00 | era.europa.eu
Any printed copy is uncontrolled. The version in force is available on Agency’s intranet/extranet.
EUROPEAN UNION AGENCY FOR RAILWAYS Report

Radio System Definition 2018

REC-129 v 1.0

5. Next steps
In the period 2019-2021, the work on the requirements, specifications, standards and solutions will be
continued by all involved stakeholders. The objective for ERA is to timely receive stable versions of
documents with relevance for the CCS TSI.
One of the specific topics which will be integrated in this work is the outcome of the discussions on a generic
ERTMS architecture, which covers also the game changers.
ERA will initiate the Identification of necessary test and validation activities and the involved actors.
ERA will continue with monitoring and, where needed, coordination of relevant activities from Shift2Rail,
UIC, ETSI, the signaling and telecom supply industry, ECC.
Further investigation of the migration strategies and migration plans of IM’s and RU’s will be performed by
ERA, in close cooperation with the railway stakeholders. Specific attention will be paid to the radio spectrum,
both at ECC level and on MS level.

Intermediate reports on progress of the work on the evolution of railway radio and the identified risks will
be available end of 2019 and end of 2020. These progress reports will provide input for the Report on System
Definition in June 2021, to be issued by the Commission. This report will include the conditions and possible
strategies for the migration to the next generation communication system with the due considerations for
the coexistence of the system and spectrum requirements.

120 Rue Marc Lefrancq | BP 20392 | FR-59307 Valenciennes Cedex 13 / 31

Tel. +33 (0)327 09 65 00 | era.europa.eu
Any printed copy is uncontrolled. The version in force is available on Agency’s intranet/extranet.
EUROPEAN UNION AGENCY FOR RAILWAYS Report

Radio System Definition 2018

REC-129 v 1.0

120 Rue Marc Lefrancq | BP 20392 | FR-59307 Valenciennes Cedex 14 / 31

Tel. +33 (0)327 09 65 00 | era.europa.eu
Any printed copy is uncontrolled. The version in force is available on Agency’s intranet/extranet.
EUROPEAN UNION AGENCY FOR RAILWAYS Report

Radio System Definition 2018

REC-129 v 1.0

Annex 1 Reference documents

Ref Nr Title Source Date

1 Position Paper on Future Radio Communication System CER June 2014
2 Future Railway Mobile Communication System, EIM EIM December 2016
expectations and key challenges
3 User Requirement Specification URS FU-7100 v 3.0.0. UIC January 2018
4 Functional Use Cases FU 7110 UIC ongoing
5 System Use cases AT 2504 UIC ongoing
6 Draft Functional Requirement Specification FU 7200 UIC ongoing
7 Survey on operational communications ERA February 2014
8 Study on Evolution of GSM-R; network models ERA March 2015
9 Study on Migration from GSM-R to other solutions ERA May 2016
10 Study on Coexistence of GSM-R with other systems ERA July 2016
11 Study on Feasibility of Satcom for railway communication ERA February 2017
12 Study on Implications of bearer independent communication ERA July 2017
concept
13 Study on the architecture of on-board radio communication ERA September 2018
14 Ex-post analysis Operational requirements of railway radio ERA October 2014
communication systems
15 Evaluation of the use of GSM-R for operational voice and ERA April 2018
emergency communication
16 ETSI TR 103 333 SRDoc ETSI
17 ETSI TR 103 459 Technical report on Architecture ETSI November 2018
19 ETSI TR 103 554 Simulation 1.4 LTE railway conditions ETSI October 2018
20 High level impact analysis of FRMCS on Euroradio UNISIG February 2017
21 Radio Spectrum Committee mandate on FRMCS EC July 2018
22 Commission Implementing Decision (EU) 2018/1538 on the EC October 2018
harmonisation of radio spectrum for use by short-range
devices within the 874-876 and 915-921 MHz frequency bands
23 ECC Report 294 (FM56) ECC December 2018

120 Rue Marc Lefrancq | BP 20392 | FR-59307 Valenciennes Cedex 15 / 31

Tel. +33 (0)327 09 65 00 | era.europa.eu
Any printed copy is uncontrolled. The version in force is available on Agency’s intranet/extranet.
EUROPEAN UNION AGENCY FOR RAILWAYS Report

Radio System Definition 2018

REC-129 v 1.0

Annex 2 Involved organisations

General
The development of FRMCS requires a close cooperation between several organisations with different
backgrounds, scopes and objectives. The general approach is given below.
Based upon position papers and other inputs from the sector organisations, in particular CER and EIM, the
UIC FRMCS7 Project (where railway experts in the field of radio communication and railway operation are
participating) drafts a set of requirements. These requirements consists of URS (User Requirement
Specification), FRS (Functional Requirement Specification), SRS (System Requirement Specifications). UIC
contributes also with documents on specific subjects, such as capacity/traffic analysis as input for spectrum
discussions, architecture concepts as input for ETSI work, and a complete set of functional and system use
cases, which are important input for the identification of railway requirements in the 3GPP work.
Specific for ETCS related aspects, both ERTMS user Group and UNISIG are involved and consulted.
ERA has performed studies on specific subjects which were not covered by other organisations, such as
network models, migration aspects, feasibility of satellite communication and technical architectures.
With reference to these requirements and other documents, in ETSI TC RT8, the telecom supply industry and
railway experts are drafting contributions for the technical details on architecture (building blocks, interfaces)
and potential solutions. Where applicable, these contributions are forwarded to 3GPP in order to cover the
railway needs in their Work Items.
In 3GPP, both railways and telecom supply industry are participating in the relevant working groups (e.g.
SA1).
In a later stage, ETSI will draft the required standards, mainly based upon 3GPP specifications.
Shift2Rail IP2 TD2.1 is performing research on the Adaptable Communication System, which is intended to
demonstrate solutions for connecting all kind of railway applications (including voice and ETCS) to several
radio systems (including GSM-R and FRMCS), both on-board and trackside. S2R is collecting requirements
from heavy rail (in particular from UIC FRMCS project) and urban rail. Where applicable, outcomes from the
research will be used as input for standardisation by ETSI. Coordination with UIC and ETSI is ensured by means
of MoU’s.

In addition, S2R has contracted a consortium (including EUG, UIC and supply industry) for the support of ERA.
This contract covers also research on an evolution of ETCS train-to track communication.

In the ERA Coordination Radio working group, all organisations mentioned above are reporting about
planning and progress of deliverables and activities. This enables a good exchange of information in an early
stage.

7
Future Railway Mobile Communication System, project started end of 2013
8
ETSI Technical Committee on Railway Telecommunication
120 Rue Marc Lefrancq | BP 20392 | FR-59307 Valenciennes Cedex 16 / 31
Tel. +33 (0)327 09 65 00 | era.europa.eu
Any printed copy is uncontrolled. The version in force is available on Agency’s intranet/extranet.
EUROPEAN UNION AGENCY FOR RAILWAYS Report

Radio System Definition 2018

REC-129 v 1.0

The figure below describes the overall approach.

120 Rue Marc Lefrancq | BP 20392 | FR-59307 Valenciennes Cedex 17 / 31

Tel. +33 (0)327 09 65 00 | era.europa.eu
Any printed copy is uncontrolled. The version in force is available on Agency’s intranet/extranet.
EUROPEAN UNION AGENCY FOR RAILWAYS Report

Radio System Definition 2018

REC-129 v 1.0

Specific for Radio spectrum

Specific for the topic of radio spectrum, the formal procedures for obtaining spectrum are followed, with
involvement of DG CNECT/RSC (Radio Spectrum Committee) and CEPT/ECC. Railways, UIC, ETSI have
addressed the need for additional spectrum to DG CNECT and have contributed with Position Papers and
System Reference Documents9. In several MS, information exchange between railways and Administrations
has been initiated.
In parallel, DG CNECT has mandated ECC to work on a report on railway spectrum needs and options. In this
FM56 working group, Railways, UIC, ETSI and telecom industry are involved and contributing. Railways are
also participating in other ECC working groups (e.g. on co-existence between FRMCS and public networks,
such as ECC PT1 and SE7).

9
ETSI TR 103 333 SRDoc
120 Rue Marc Lefrancq | BP 20392 | FR-59307 Valenciennes Cedex 18 / 31
Tel. +33 (0)327 09 65 00 | era.europa.eu
Any printed copy is uncontrolled. The version in force is available on Agency’s intranet/extranet.
EUROPEAN UNION AGENCY FOR RAILWAYS Report

Radio System Definition 2018

REC-129 v 1.0

Annex 3 Functionality aspects

Context
During the first development of GSM-R, specific attention was paid to the inclusion of railway specific
features which were at that time not available in the “telephony-oriented” GSM specifications. These
features supported, for example, group communications, location dependent addressing (e.g. a driver can
address a call to the appropriate signaller, depending on the location of the train), the use of functional
numbers to address calls (e.g. to call a driver of a train using the train running number) and the possibility to
introduce different priority levels for handling the calls. These features are available for both voice and data
applications.
The railway sector has indicated that GSM-R contributes to the safety and performance of rail operation and
is still fit for use10. Consequently the successor of GSM-R shall at least offer similar functionality and
performance as GSM-R. In the responses to a questionnaire sent by ERA to its stakeholders on the usage of
GSM-R11, this conclusion has been repeated, although some specific functional improvements have been
requested. The railway sector also has stated that the introduction of the new system should have very
limited impact on the current operational rules.
Although not directly related to functionality, a railway specific requirement for the new system is to achieve
a very high level of availability of the communication services and, in particular for ETCS, a high level of –
guaranteed performance related quality.
One specific item inherent to the design of GSM-R is that the overall system is a complex integration of “user
applications” and network properties and functions. This makes it very difficult to change or add functions or
to create the optimal configuration for train operation: there are several dependencies between IC’s (on-
board equipment, sim-card) and the trackside subsystems. As changes can impact the whole system (not
only the on-board or trackside elements), and there is no clear separation of the safety relevant and non-
safety relevant parts of each subsystem, re-certification may be required in many cases after a modification.
Although many of the envisaged new applications could have been already developed to be used with GSM-
R (with GPRS), this has not happened in most of the cases: some of these applications do not require a high
amount of bandwidth, such as the monitoring of trackside workers, sending of data alerts, etc.
Another issue is that the “R” features (covering railway specific requirements) are implemented in GSM-R
networks only and are generally not supported in public networks, either because they are described as
optional features for GSM or because they are specifically developed for railway use. Hence, the use of public
networks does not provide compliancy to the functions required in the CCS TSI. In addition, public networks
are not designed to provide similar availability as achieved by dedicated GSM-R networks.
The disadvantages of the GSM-R concept, and the dynamics of mobile communication technologies
evolution, require the uncoupling of applications and bearer services. This is essential to offer sufficient
flexibility in the long term for future developments, not only related to applications, but also related to the
use of any dedicated and/or public network.
There shall be a shift towards a model where the railway specific functionalities are provided by the
application layer, allowing the use of multiple bearers to transport the information. An “apps based
approach” as used in consumer smartphones and app-stores, is an excellent example of how this could be
achieved. Although it is not the intention to make all railway applications available in an commercial “app-
store”, the way how flexibility and bearer-independency is achieved in the current environment for public

10
Ex-post analysis Operational requirements of railway radio communication systems, ERA, October 2014
11
Evaluation of usage of GSM-R for operational voice and emergency communication, ERA, April 2018
120 Rue Marc Lefrancq | BP 20392 | FR-59307 Valenciennes Cedex 19 / 31
Tel. +33 (0)327 09 65 00 | era.europa.eu
Any printed copy is uncontrolled. The version in force is available on Agency’s intranet/extranet.
EUROPEAN UNION AGENCY FOR RAILWAYS Report

Radio System Definition 2018

REC-129 v 1.0

network subscribers and how user equipment is updated, can be considered in the railway domain, which
may impact the way development and certification is currently done.
Special attention has to be paid to include in the overall design an architecture that allows the desired
flexibility.
The sources of information for the description of the functionality are coming from the following initiatives:
› Agency’s participation in the UIC FRMCS Project (Functionality Working Group)
› Position papers from the sector (EIM12, CER13, combined paper from CER, CIT, EIM and UIC14)
› Ex-post analysis of the use of GSM-R (issued by the Agency)
› Questionnaire on operational use of GSM-R (issued by the Agency)
The common objective of these initiatives is the analysis of the functionality currently in use by railways,
thanks to the capabilities offered by all the transmission networks available (not only GSM-R, but also other
critical communication networks, the commercial public networks or private networks) in order to describe
it and to later identify which of these functionalities shall be harmonised.
Both voice and data functionalities are considered in this analysis.

Objectives

The objective of the Agency is to identify in the different initiatives ongoing for the successor of GSM-R (UIC
FRMCS project, Shift2Rail TE 2.1 Adaptable Communication) the essential requirements for interoperability
(on-board and trackside) with respects to functionality that should be retained and defined in the update of
the CCS TSI.
The description of the functionalities that are needed for all the trains to run safely shall be included in the
CCS TSI. The Agency expects to rely on the content of technical specifications or standards from UIC, ETSI, or
Shift2Rail defining an overall system for railway telecommunications, and in case it is needed, to create
specific documents based on the specifications, adapted to the purpose of the CCS TSI.

In addition, the Agency fosters the assurance that interoperability will be maintained during the transition
phase. The functionality described in the CCS TSI shall be as “technology neutral” as possible.

Only a minimum set of requirements should be included in the CCS TSI, therefore, an assessment of the
proposed improvements or additions should be made by the Agency and its stakeholders within a specific
task group: some of the currently used functionalities may not be needed and other applications may be
introduced to support future needs. Examples of the latter may be the support of the functionality to allow
virtual coupling or train integrity verification systems, the use of data messages for alerts and emergency
situations, etc.

The discussion on which of the desired functionalities shall be present in all trains is key to achieve a set of
requirements that balance the operational needs and the implementation costs of the system.
Harmonisation may not only be limited to the functionalities included in the CCS TSI: a high level of
harmonisation will help the deployment of other functionalities.

12
http://www.eimrail.org/uploads/news/2016-12-EIM-FRMCS%20position%20paper.pdf
13
http://www.cer.be/sites/default/files/publication/FRCS_Position_Papers_2014.pdf
14
http://www.cer.be/sites/default/files/publication/A%20Roadmap%20for%20Digital%20Railways.pdf
120 Rue Marc Lefrancq | BP 20392 | FR-59307 Valenciennes Cedex 20 / 31
Tel. +33 (0)327 09 65 00 | era.europa.eu
Any printed copy is uncontrolled. The version in force is available on Agency’s intranet/extranet.
EUROPEAN UNION AGENCY FOR RAILWAYS Report

Radio System Definition 2018

REC-129 v 1.0

Special care should be taken by the Agency to ensure that if a new functionality is introduced in the CCS TSI,
it is accompanied by a set of operational rules.

Options

Different organisations are collecting the functional needs of the sector (UIC, S2R). Each of these
functionalities may be seen as an application, and a decision has to be taken with respects to its level of
harmonisation (defining the interfaces, the messages exchanged with the communication system and with
other applications) and the need to include it in the CCS TSI.

Baseline scenario: the applications used in GSM-R will be kept. According to the ex-post analysis of the use
of GSM-R performed by the Agency, the use of the different features offered by GSM-R in all the countries
that have deployed the system was studied.

Option 1: baseline scenario plus a few additional harmonised functionalities, restricting to those agreed by
the Agency stakeholders as needed by all trains, with their corresponding harmonised operational rules.

Option 2: option 1 plus an additional set of harmonised applications described as optional in the CCS TSI.

Impacts of the options

The inclusion in the CCS TSI of a wider range of optional applications may go against the overall desire of
stability and simplicity of the legal framework. Harmonisation is possible outside of the frame of the CCS TSI,
therefore it is not seen by the Agency as a must that all the applications defined should become part of the
TSI. Option 2 is seen as a non-optimal solution.

The applications selected for the Option 1 should permit the access to all the networks in the Single
European Railway Area without additional requests for the compatibility with the different routes. Option 1
is the preferred one.

120 Rue Marc Lefrancq | BP 20392 | FR-59307 Valenciennes Cedex 21 / 31

Tel. +33 (0)327 09 65 00 | era.europa.eu
Any printed copy is uncontrolled. The version in force is available on Agency’s intranet/extranet.
EUROPEAN UNION AGENCY FOR RAILWAYS Report

Radio System Definition 2018

REC-129 v 1.0

Annex 4 Technology aspects

Context
Sources of information for the main elements of the System Definition are coming from the Agency’s
participation in the following initiatives:
› UIC FRMCS Project (Architecture and Technology Working Group)
› ETSI Technical Committee Rail Telecommunications
› Shift2Rail Technical Demonstrator 2.1 (X2Rail-1 WP3)
The common objective of those three initiatives is the independency between radio/transport technologies
and voice & data applications, facilitating use of radio telecommunications services (railway and non-railway
networks)between on-board and trackside. This is referred to as bearer flexibility, and relies on IP based
communication over standardised interfaces (including protocols on the different communication layers).
This approach favours the possibility to use services provided by dedicated railway radio networks, public
networks or hybrid solutions, depending on specific requirements (e.g. availability) and economic
considerations (e.g. wider ecosystem than for GSM-R). Relying on 3GPP/IETF Standards is a common
assumption in the three initiatives, to reuse to the highest extent already available technical specifications.
However, some rail specificities could require amendments to those specifications.
Note: Although the main trend amongst the three initiatives is to build up on 3GPP/IETF existing
capabilities, the ERA on-board study considered possible future introduction of so-called Over-The-
Top applications. This option is however not sufficiently covered by the above-mentioned initiatives.
Note 2: The impact of the signalling game changers (ETCS L3, ATO) onto the general radio
architecture are not sufficiently covered by the above-mentioned initiatives, as they are seen as
applications that could cope with any type of data communication. It remains to be clarified if the
level of Quality of Service required (e.g. ETCS over FRMCS) could have a strong influence on the radio
architecture.

The UIC FRMCS project Architecture and Technology Working Group is developing technical conditions of the
FRMCS System (in parallel of the applications and Use Cases drafted by the UIC FRMCS project Functional
Subgroup). Later, System Principle Use Cases are provide to 3GPP (via ETSI TC RT). Currently, almost all those
Use Cases have been drafted by the Architecture and Technology Working Group and transferred to 3GPP15.
This group is now working on the development of a System Requirement Specification for the FRMCS system.
The target date of availability of the SRS is

ETSI Technical Committee on Rail Telecommunications is performing relevant studies for the future system.
Amongst those studies, the Technical Report 103 459 (publication expected Q4 2018) provides a reference
model of FRMCS system architecture from a functional point of view, and a high level description of the
functions that address FRMCS requirements (as specified in URS and Use Cases issued by the UIC FRMCS
project). This feasibility study does not yet preclude of implementations of FRMCS, and a second phase
drafting requirements complementing the FRMCS SRS will be needed. The target date of availability of this
SRS is not known.
Note: in TR 103 459, voice and data applications are considered differently and the rail specific
requirements for ETCS could be fewer than for voice (e.g. do not necessarily require MCX framework)

15
In 3GPP, railway topics are not dealt with the highest priority, therefore having all rail specific features
within a specific timeframe (e.g. Rel-16) is not guaranteed
120 Rue Marc Lefrancq | BP 20392 | FR-59307 Valenciennes Cedex 22 / 31
Tel. +33 (0)327 09 65 00 | era.europa.eu
Any printed copy is uncontrolled. The version in force is available on Agency’s intranet/extranet.
EUROPEAN UNION AGENCY FOR RAILWAYS Report

Radio System Definition 2018

REC-129 v 1.0

Shift2Rail Technical Demonstrator 2.1 “Adaptable Communication” X2Rail-1 WP3 developed in the
deliverable D3.3 “Specification of the communication system and Guideline for choice of Technology” a draft
technical specification of a communication system (including overall architecture, definition of interfaces,
addressing, QoS requirements, security); and a guideline to identify suitable technologies to be used for the
prototypes. X2Rail-3 WP3 foresees in a second stage the finalisation of the prototype development and the
testing and integration of prototypes into demonstrators, with the aim to validate the concepts and
demonstrate the capabilities of the adaptable communication system for different railway environments
(tests results expected Q2 2020).
Note: It is not clear from the Grant Agreements in X2Rail-1 and 3 when output specifications could
be transformed in ETSI Standards.

According to the information gathered in the three above-mentioned initiatives, it is difficult to conclude
when Standards would be available for inclusion in the CCS TSI. The time needed by the Industry to develop
products based on a Standard is usually in the range of 18 months. Therefore, in case Standards would be
available for an update of the CCS TSI in 2022, deployments could be expected around 2023.

The Railway Operational Communication (ROC) Industry Group (formerly known as GSM-R Industry Group)
indicated that they are committed to support GSM-R technology and GSM-R products at least until 2030.
After this date, it will become technically more difficult to sustain product and technology based on the
second-generation cellular technology (2G), especially as all other telecom stakeholders will discontinue the
support of 2G. There is therefore, at least for obsolescence mitigation, the need to identify a new technology
platform for railway telecommunications.

The expected ramp up of digitalisation in railways is an additional factor explaining the need for a more up
to date technology. Applications like Automatic Train Operation, remote control of engines, and monitoring
of infield sensors requires currently too much capacity for GSM-R. Reusing mainstream telecom technologies
and development in other sectors (e.g. Public Protection and Disaster Relieve, automotive) would enable
railway sector to support new applications and develop innovative maintenance methods.

Taking into account the operational impact of the deployment of a new telecom system for railways, as well
as the very different timelines for migration in Europe, rail stakeholders indicated that coexistence of GSM-
R and the successor system during a period of migration that could last for 8 to 10 years. The design of the
successor system should consider this.

Objectives

The objective of the Agency is to identify in the different initiatives on going for the successor of GSM-R
(FRMCS project, Shift2Rail TE 2.1 Adaptable Communication) the essential requirements for interoperability
(on-board and trackside) that should be retain and defined in the update of the CCS TSI. Technologies to be
prescribed could be one, bearing in mind that the concept of bearer flexibility should be introduced to work
around the technological lock-in effect (i.e. GSM-R).The Agency expects to rely on technical specifications or
standards from UIC, ETSI, or Shift2Rail defining an overall system for railway telecommunications.

In addition, the Agency promotes migration patterns, in cooperation with Infrastructure Managers and
Railway Undertakings, ensuring that interoperability is maintained during the transition phase. A constructive
dialogue will be key to ensure a balance between the objectives of IM to minimise the length of transition
period and of RU to avoid replacement of existing asset already compliant to an older version of the CCS TSI.
Options
120 Rue Marc Lefrancq | BP 20392 | FR-59307 Valenciennes Cedex 23 / 31
Tel. +33 (0)327 09 65 00 | era.europa.eu
Any printed copy is uncontrolled. The version in force is available on Agency’s intranet/extranet.
EUROPEAN UNION AGENCY FOR RAILWAYS Report

Radio System Definition 2018

REC-129 v 1.0

From the initiative working on a successor to GSM-R, the assumption that 3GPP/IETF based
telecommunication systems can provide for railway requirements is shared. However, some rail stakeholders
would prefer to see non-3GPP solutions being adopted as well, referring to the Over-The-Top approach. Such
an approach would enable use of railway applications irrelevant of the telecom technology deployed.
Although this model is in theory possible, it is currently not sufficiently documented in UIC, ETSI or S2R.

ETSI TC RT is finalising a Technical Report 103 459 “Study on architecture” where a high-level view of what
could be an architecture for FRMCS is presented. In this report, the 3GPP ecosystem is a prerequisite, and
the merits of the different options are discussed.

A distinction can be made for voice and data applications, as the latter require less specificities in a railway
context. For example, railway voice applications such as the Railway Emergency Call described in the FRMCS
URS rely on group of users, and this concept requires specific 3GPP features (e.g. Mission Critical Service
framework). Conversely, point-to-point data communications could be realised through more common
methods or earlier 3GPP releases.

120 Rue Marc Lefrancq | BP 20392 | FR-59307 Valenciennes Cedex 24 / 31

Tel. +33 (0)327 09 65 00 | era.europa.eu
Any printed copy is uncontrolled. The version in force is available on Agency’s intranet/extranet.
EUROPEAN UNION AGENCY FOR RAILWAYS Report

Radio System Definition 2018

REC-129 v 1.0

Annex 5 Spectrum aspects

Context and problem definition

In order to be able to implement GSM-R networks, railways have obtained radio spectrum in the 900 Mhz
frequency band, which is harmonised in EU. In all MS, 2x4 MHz bandwidth is available for railways, in some
MS additional 2x3 MHz is assigned to railways.
As GSM-R is a circuit switched based system, the overall capacity is limited. Some IM’s have implemented (or
will implement) an additional packet switching system (GPRS) to increase the capacity.

Taking into consideration the achieved level of availability and performance of GSM-R networks and the
limitations of the public networks in terms of availability (see previous sections), many IM’s want to continue
with the concept of dedicated railway networks, giving them full control on availability and performance.

A study performed by ERA16 has shown that, with the available technologies as per today, it is not possible
to introduce a new (LTE/4G) radio system in the same radio spectrum as GSM-R simultaneously without a
severe impact on the legacy GSM-R network. As a consequence, additional spectrum is required.

The EC Radio Spectrum Committee has mandated ECC17 to identify the railway needs and to identify potential
frequency bands. Also the technical implications, such as co-existence with GSM-R and other radio systems
including public networks, have to be investigated. A dedicated working group (ECC FM56) is tasked to deliver
a final report in 2020.

ECC FM 56 is regrouping experts from the railway and telecom side, as well as National Regulatory
Administration (i.e. spectrum regulators). The group is aiming at defining, in two phases, the amount of
spectrum required by the railways for critical applications during and after the migration from GSM-R to it
successor, and the spectrum scenarios for having a harmonised allocation at CEPT level. The conclusions of
this group will quite probably lead to an ECC Decision for allocating harmonised railway spectrum. A
complementary EC Decision could also result from the answer to the FRMCS Mandate.
Note: The FRMCS Mandate also tasks FM 56 to study and assess the technical feasibility and scenarios
of using commercial mobile networks, taking into account wireless coverage and reliability needs of
the railway system.

The most credible scenario currently is to harmonise 2 X 1.6 MHz in addition to the existing 2 X 4 MHz already
allocated to GSM-R for the introduction of the new system. This scenario offer the possibility to have after
the migration 2 X 5MHz, a frequency channel arrangement that is supported by both 4G and 5G. Additional
frequency bands, such as the 1900 MHz band, would also be required in dense railway networks, border
areas and high density areas.
The first report on the railway needs (draft report A) is published in September 2018, the second report on
the spectrum options (report B) is expected in 2020. Report B will also cover the definition of conditions for
co-existence with other systems including prevention of interferences, as discussed in other ECC WG’s (SE7
and PT1). Both reports will be input for an ECC Decision in November 2020 and an EC decision in 2021.

16
ERA Study by LS Telcom
17
RSCOM18-05rev3 Final EC Mandate to CEPT on spectrum for FRMCS
120 Rue Marc Lefrancq | BP 20392 | FR-59307 Valenciennes Cedex 25 / 31
Tel. +33 (0)327 09 65 00 | era.europa.eu
Any printed copy is uncontrolled. The version in force is available on Agency’s intranet/extranet.
EUROPEAN UNION AGENCY FOR RAILWAYS Report

Radio System Definition 2018

REC-129 v 1.0

The UIC FRMCS project, in close cooperation with the railway sector, has performed a study on radio
communication traffic and capacity which is needed to support the current and future applications using the
dedicated railway radio network18.
Based upon this traffic analysis, the rail sector, in particular the Infrastructure Managers, requires the
allocation of a certain minimum amount of EU harmonised spectrum for harmonised (current and future)
applications during and after the migration from GSM-R to its successor. In addition, the possibility to assign
on national basis additional spectrum is also requested for specific, non-harmonised applications or for
applications with a limited geographic scope.

A complicating factor is the fact that not all railways have the same needs (e.g. applications on top of the
mandatory ones), the same train density (differs from line to line), or the same plans for further digitalisation
of railways. In particular, the use of critical video communications for e.g. ATO or remote control of engines,
could lead to a dramatic increase of capacity need for radio communication in the coming decades. Hence, a
certain flexibility and scalability is required - without impacting interoperability.

Not only the critical applications, but also the robustness of the radio system in terms of availability (e.g. by
using double coverage on ETCS lines) impacts the overall spectrum needs.
A specific element related to radio spectrum is the economic impact of the proposed frequency bands. A
considerable part of the overall capex and opex of radio networks is directly related to the amount of radio
sites and the subsequent costs for masts, power supply and transmission systems. This infrastructure
represents the majority of costs for radio networks. The possibility to reuse of these sites for the successor
of GSM-R, or even reduction of the overall amount of sites, leads to a limitation of the economic impact of
the introduction of new radio technology. However, not only the frequency bands, but also the conditions
for co-existence (e.g. maximum transmitted power levels) may create economic impact, e.g. due to the
necessity to install additional sites.
The railway sector also documented their preferred spectrum target, e.g. an allocation of spectrum below 1
GHz, in order to be able to reuse to the greatest extent the existing infrastructure, such as masts, transmission
systems and power supply;

ETSI TC RT has performed a relevant study in the Technical Report 103 554, simulating the capacity a 4G LTE
system would achieve in a railway environment. Preliminary results are available for a 1.4 MHz LTE channel,
and a second version of the TR will report additional results for 3 and 5 MHz channels. Although 4G LTE is
only one candidate for the radio access technology to be used for FRMCS during and after the migration, the
results are extremely useful to convert the traffic estimation from UIC Group for Frequency Aspects into a
spectrum estimation.

An important aspect of spectrum is that 4G radio technology is able to work with 2x 1.4, 3 and 5 MHz
bandwidth, where 5G technology requires currently a minimum of 2x 5 MHz. 3GPP is requested to investigate
the possibilities to allow the use of smaller portions of spectrum than 5 MHz, in particular 1.4 and 3 MHz.

It has to be noted that even in the case that the candidate frequencies to be supported are covered in the
3GPP specifications, there is a certain risk that this will not lead automatically to availability of products
supporting this spectrum.

Another aspect of radio spectrum is the impact on user equipment, in particular on-board radio equipment.
In general, the amount of frequency bands to be supported will influence the costs of this equipment, in
terms of complexity and the amount of radio modules. Also the risk of creating a niche market could lead to

18
FW-AT 2603 v2.1.1 FRMCS Traffic Analysis V2
120 Rue Marc Lefrancq | BP 20392 | FR-59307 Valenciennes Cedex 26 / 31
Tel. +33 (0)327 09 65 00 | era.europa.eu
Any printed copy is uncontrolled. The version in force is available on Agency’s intranet/extranet.
EUROPEAN UNION AGENCY FOR RAILWAYS Report

Radio System Definition 2018

REC-129 v 1.0

economic impact. Specific for trains, also impact on (amount of) antennas has to be taken into account, as
the space for installation of antennas on the roof is limited.

In the absence of a commonly agreed spectrum migration plan at EU level, on-board radio equipment shall
support all the harmonised railway frequency bands plus National specific allocation where required. In
addition, on-board shall frequency bands enabling roaming to public networks as well.

The Agency will continue monitoring the railway spectrum work, in order to analyse the impact on the CCS
TSI and to prepare the update of the CCS TSI.

Objectives
Main objectives: sufficient spectrum to allow the introduction of the successor of GSM-R and to facilitate the
first migration step, possibilities to extent the spectrum after decommissioning of GSM-R, possibilities to
have additional spectrum on hotspots, interference resilient, not interfering with GSM-R, limitation of
economic impact, limitation of migration steps towards the target system, supporting interoperability.
A note on the relationship between interoperability and spectrum: following the basic principle of
interoperability, the on-board equipment shall be able to operate at all frequencies which are available in
MS networks. A limitation of the “catalog” of frequencies, e.g. by defining one single frequency band (like for
GSM-R) or to agree on a set of mandatory and optional frequencies bands, reduces the costs of on-board. In
order to create a stable and predictable situation for on-board, the catalog has to be defined and fixed at the
time of publication of the new radio system in the CCS TSI.

Options
Although the final ECC report on radio spectrum is not finalised yet, the following options can be considered:
Baseline scenario: harmonised limited amount (2x1.6 MHz) of spectrum in the 900 MHz band, additional to
the 2x4 MHz used by GSM-R. After decommissioning of GSM-R, 2x5.6 MHz is available. This scenario is based
upon the SRD decision19. Note that some MS have already assigned 2x3 MHz (in addition to the 2x4 MHz) to
railways.
Option 1: baseline scenario plus additional harmonised radio spectrum in the 1900/2300 MHz band (under
investigation)
Option 2: option 1 plus additional non-harmonised spectrum outside the 900 MHz and/or in the 1900/2300
MHz. This provides the possibility to use the additional spectrum for non-interoperability related
applications.

Impacts of the options

Baseline: this spectrum scenario allows railways to introduce 4G technology only. In general this spectrum is
considered to be sufficient for the traffic currently using GSM-R (mainly voice and ETCS data), however, there
are several hotspots (dense areas, shunting yards, big stations) which definitely require more capacity. It is
questionable if this scenario can support the introduction of new applications, e.g. related to digitalisation of
railways. This baseline is also not available in those MS where the spectrum is already used by GSM-R.

19
SRD decision
120 Rue Marc Lefrancq | BP 20392 | FR-59307 Valenciennes Cedex 27 / 31
Tel. +33 (0)327 09 65 00 | era.europa.eu
Any printed copy is uncontrolled. The version in force is available on Agency’s intranet/extranet.
EUROPEAN UNION AGENCY FOR RAILWAYS Report

Radio System Definition 2018

REC-129 v 1.0

When starting with 4G, further expansion of capacity and/or the introduction of 5G) are only possible after
decommissioning of GSM-R. This requires a second migration. The current expectation is that a migration
from 4G to 5G using (partly) the same frequency band is extremely complicated.
When the whitespace idea is feasible, it allows the introduction of 5G technology as first (and final) migration
step. This baseline option also offers the possibility of reusing legacy sites, when the co-existence conditions
allow to do so.

120 Rue Marc Lefrancq | BP 20392 | FR-59307 Valenciennes Cedex 28 / 31

Tel. +33 (0)327 09 65 00 | era.europa.eu
Any printed copy is uncontrolled. The version in force is available on Agency’s intranet/extranet.
EUROPEAN UNION AGENCY FOR RAILWAYS Report

Radio System Definition 2018

REC-129 v 1.0

Annex 6 Migration aspects

Context and problem definition

The introduction of the successor of GSM-R (called FRMCS radio system) raises the question if and which
migration requirements should be considered into the CCS TSI revision. The overall order of magnitude of
GSM-R assets in Europe are estimated around 10 BEUR.
The timeline of GSM-R implementations across Europe are significantly different and can be categorized
between early (around the year 2000), medium (around the year 2010) and late (around the year 2020) GSM-
R implementers. While some Member States report to be interested to migrate as soon as possible from
GSM-R to FRMCS (e.g. Sweden, Switzerland) because there GSM-R assets have to be renewed soon, other
Member States are still investing significantly in upcoming years in GSM-R assets either to renew their current
GSM-R assets (e.g. NL, DE) or to roll out GSM-R for the first time on lines or even new networks (e.g. Poland,
Spain). Therefore, it is expected that in the baseline scenario, the start and end of FRMCS implementation
within the different Member States would follow the renewal cycles of the GSM-R networks. This may lead
to a difference in start and end of FRMCS implementation in terms of 10-15 years as e.g. contracted lifetime
of GSM-R in Poland reaches 2034, therefore it has been assumed that GSM-R will be in operation at least
until then. Without further action, the migration towards FRMCS may create an unpredictable financial
impact mainly for RUs and in some cases for IMs (e.g. one IM reported today not to be allowed to switch-off
the Class B radio system after implementation and operation of the GSM-R system).

Objectives
The main objective is to analyse the requirements to be considered for chapter 7 of the TSI CCS in order to
enable a cost efficient FRMCS migration and GSM-R decommissioning.

Options
1. Baseline scenario: similar radio specific implementation rules as in point 7.3 of CCS TSI 2016/919. Class
A GSM-R radio system is replaced by Class A GSM-R/FRMCS radio systems, allowing the choice for
trackside (and consequently on-board) installations between GSM-R or FRMCS implementation.

2. Baseline PLUS scenario: Baseline scenario including the obligation to update the National
Implementation Plan (7.4.4) indicating the FRMCS implementation dates and GSM-R decommissioning
dates.

3. Option 1: Baseline PLUS scenario with additional minimum period of 5 years between the notification
of the start of FRMCS-migration and first decommissioning of GSM-R. Faster decommissioning of GSM-
R is only possible in case of an agreement made between IM and all impacted RUs (e.g. by using
financial compensation schemes to incentivise FRMCS on-board migration).

4. Option 2: Baseline PLUS scenario with fixed dates for FRMCS-implementation and earliest GSM-R
decommissioning on European Railway Corridors or on complete European railway network.

Impact of the options

Under the assumption that the spectrum used for FRMCS-migration is in proximity to the current GSM-R
spectrum, it is estimated that most GSM-R trackside assets (70%) can be fully re-used (e.g. GSM-R
masts/power supplies) which would limit the FRMCS trackside migration costs.
120 Rue Marc Lefrancq | BP 20392 | FR-59307 Valenciennes Cedex 29 / 31
Tel. +33 (0)327 09 65 00 | era.europa.eu
Any printed copy is uncontrolled. The version in force is available on Agency’s intranet/extranet.
EUROPEAN UNION AGENCY FOR RAILWAYS Report

Radio System Definition 2018

REC-129 v 1.0

Besides the impact on the CAB-radios and EDOR radios (estimated asset value between 20 to
40[kEUR/radio]), a specific issue has been raised on the potential impact on the ETCS OBU. An analysis of
the system architecture demonstrates that the impact on the ETCS OBU is limited to changes in the ETCS non
safety part and further analysis is required to investigate if any ETCS OBU impact can be avoided when
migrating from GSM-R to FRMCS.
2 suppliers indicated that also potential upgrades of cyber-security requirements should be considered in the
migration model in order to optimize the overall on-board migration and avoid separate on-board revision
cycles for FRMCS and for upgraded cyber-security requirements. The appropriate allocation of upgraded
cyber-security requirements will be taken into account in the overall future CCS system architecture. In order
to avoid multiple impacts on the ETCS safe part, it has to be investigated if upgraded cyber-security
requirements can be introduced outside the ETCS application. This would provide more agility in case of
future potential upgrades/patches in case new cyber-security risks have to be mitigated in future. Under this
system architecture assumptions, the suppliers reported an overall ETCS OBU low (below 20 [kEUR/OBU]) or
medium cost impact (below 100 [kEUR/OBU]).
A questionnaire has been distributed to analyse the impact and preferences of the different migration
scenarios. These scenarios are: baseline scenario, option 1 and option 2.
In the Baseline scenario, the requirements in chapter 7 of the CCS TSI would imply to request for an updated
ERTMS National Implementation Plan taking into account the potential introduction of the FRMCS radio
system. The questionnaire asked if such baseline scenario would be sufficient to enable a cost efficient
FRMCS migration and GSM-R decommissioning taking into account that Infrastructure Managers have an
interest to avoid a long period of providing dual GSM-R/FRMCS trackside radio services, while RUs prefer a
long overlapping period to avoid significant retrofitting costs for existing vehicles. Most of the answers
reported that such baseline scenario would not be optimal as there are limited generic migration practices
at national level to handle network changes which impact existing vehicles. Examples have been reported
related to migration issues linked to network changes which impact vehicle changes (e.g. issues related to
introduction of interference resilient radios, issues related to maintaining analogue radio systems in parallel
to GSM-R and other examples outside the radio domain). The Agency has to analyse further the need for
EU-actions and generic financing and migration principles in case of network changes which impact vehicle
requirements.

Option 1 is to mandate in Chapter 7 of the CCS TSI revision of 2022, in addition to the baseline scenario (NIP
update), a minimum retrofitting period to be respected for FRMCS-migration of existing vehicles (e.g.
between 5 to 10 years). This minimum retrofitting period shall start after the notification of the FRMCS-
implementation plan by the Infrastructure Manager and ends with the decommissioning of GSM-R network.
both start of FRMCS deployment and end of GSM-R shall be included in the NIP. This would allow to protect
existing ERTMS on-board investments and provide a smooth migration for a substantial part of the existing
vehicles taking into account the natural renewal cycle of the existing ERTMS on-board products. Deviation
from this requirement would be allowed if an agreement is made between all the impacted stakeholders
(e.g. including potential use of financial compensation schemes via funding or discounts to track access
charges) which would allow the introduction of a shorter retrofitting period if this optimizes the overall
business case at railway sector level.

Option 2 is a scenario where EU includes in Chapter 7 of the CCS TSI revision of 2022, in addition to Option 1
(minimal retrofitting for on-board), harmonized dates for start of FRMCS deployment and for GSM-R
decommissioning. Most respondents to the questionnaire indicated that there is no evidence and less
urgency to set mandatory FRMCS implementation dates for upgraded or new vehicles in the CCS TSI revision
of 2022 in particular without any return of experience of the availability for FRMCS-on-board products.
Taking into account the different GSM-R trackside asset lifetimes across Member States, there is no evidence
120 Rue Marc Lefrancq | BP 20392 | FR-59307 Valenciennes Cedex 30 / 31
Tel. +33 (0)327 09 65 00 | era.europa.eu
Any printed copy is uncontrolled. The version in force is available on Agency’s intranet/extranet.
EUROPEAN UNION AGENCY FOR RAILWAYS Report

Radio System Definition 2018

REC-129 v 1.0

yet to mandate trackside FRMCS implementation dates. Some answers from the questionnaire reported to
analyse the introduction of mandatory trackside FRMCS implementation dates at EU-level in correlation with
the potentially available EU-funding for FRMCS-implementation.

Comparison of options and preferred option

Few stakeholders reported to prefer the baseline scenario and in those cases, these Member States reported
to have an effective process to handle network changes taking into account the interests from all the
impacted stakeholders with potentially associated financial compensation schemes between IM and
impacted RUs. For these Member States, this scenario is in fact similar to option 1.

Based upon the responses to the questionnaire and the additional preliminary qualitative assessment, Option
1 is the preferred scenario, creating a predictable framework for both IMs (e.g. guaranteed maximum period
for maintaining operation of multiple radio systems) and RUs (guaranteed minimum period given to RUs after
the notification of the start of FRMCS-implementation, e.g. covered in NIP or in network statements). This
option also provides sufficient flexibility in case a faster migration is envisaged by allowing compensation
schemes to be established between IM and RUs. This preferred option aims to reflect the current best
practices across Member States for network changes which impact existing vehicles.

The main risk of this preferred option 1 is linked to early FRMCS implementers which prefer to adopt a fast
migration based on a voluntary agreement between IM and RUs. In option 1, these Member States/IMs
could be negatively impacted compared to the baseline scenario as financial compensation must be given to
both national and international impacted operators. The potential prioritization and use of EU-funding in
these cases shall be further analysed.

Option 2 can be considered in a later stage after the first return of experiences of FRMCS-implementations
(expected around 2025).

Further work on the analysis of the potential upgrades of cyber-security requirements and potential impact
on the CCS-, and in particular the FRMCS-, system architecture part has to be considered including its impact
on FRMCS-migration.

The Agency will also need to analyse if a generic strategic framework should be developed across the
Interoperability Directive, Access Directive and EU-funding programmes in order to handle future network
changes which impact vehicle requirements as this FRMCS-migration is only one example of balancing IM
and RU-interests.

120 Rue Marc Lefrancq | BP 20392 | FR-59307 Valenciennes Cedex 31 / 31

Tel. +33 (0)327 09 65 00 | era.europa.eu
Any printed copy is uncontrolled. The version in force is available on Agency’s intranet/extranet.