Nokia claims to be the global market leader in GSM-R for railroads
Railroad travel is a mainstay of both commuter and long-distance mobility within Europe. As such, European Union regulators have instituted what’s called the European Rail Traffic Management System (ERTMS), which governs rail signaling in the EU. A key part of ERTMS is the Global System for Mobile Communications–Railway (GSM-R), the connectivity and application standard for railway-related communications. As GSM-R is deployed across Europe, Nokia recently won its biggest ever GSM-R contract to support ERTMS compliance for Polish rail operator PKP PLK.
The expansive agreement will see Nokia provide installation, commission, integrate, care and maintenance services for the GSM-R network, as well as for more than 11,000 kilometers of fiber backhaul equipped with IP/MPLS and dense wavelength division multiplexing. The deal with PKP PLK encompasses everything from the RAN to the core to security and other applications and features.
Nokia SVP Europe, Global Enterprise and Public Sector, Matthieu Bourguignon said “building the railway communications network is a key part” of Poland’s larger-scale digitalization plans. “Based on our expertise as market leader in GSM-R and critical communications networks, our unparalleled experience in turnkey projects and our successful long-term history in large-scale network deployments in Poland, Nokia is a natural choice for this kind of ambitious rollout.”
Nokia says it’s the “global market leader” for GSM-R and has 20 customers with more than 75,000 kilometers of tracks covered. This latest build in Poland draws on four previous deployments with PKP PLK.
GSM-R is in action on five continents supporting interoperable communications for voice and data services associated with railroad operations. A key part of adopting an international standard for railroad communications is creating a platform that will allow train operators to maintain the same level of connectivity as they move between countries.
