Funkwerk Systems GmbH successfully demonstrates the achievement of important milestones on the way to standard-compliant implementation of FRMCS in development and in the laboratory. In July and August, extensive tests and demonstrations of the current state of development took place in the company's own laboratory environment and at important railway partners in Germany and Belgium.
Important milestones for FRMCS include the implementation of the multipath protocol to ensure uninterrupted voice and data communication, support for railway-specific 5G frequencies, the communication interfaces within the FRMCS components (e.g. application software, antennas, radio modules and gateways) and the provision of corresponding hardware components. To this end, the accredited laboratory area has been completely overhauled in recent months in order to provide all the necessary test options in a modern working environment. In addition to a complete 5G test environment in the form of a dedicated campus network and measurement technology for measuring in the railway frequencies n100 / n101, this also includes the connection to the interoperable ETSI test environment, to several development partners and to the Digital Rail test environment in the Ore Mountains. This network will be significantly expanded as part of the MORANE2 project and will then include other important European and international partners.
In the course of the transformation to FRMCS, Funkwerk has already developed a whole range of products that allow the migration of existing equipment in various scenarios as well as the introduction of completely new approaches to communication that go beyond railway applications. These include plug-in modules to make existing train radio systems 5G-capable, additional, self-sufficient 5G modems and gateways. Software applications are available that run on Android and therefore also on the latest smartphones and tablets, as well as on Linux. A FRMCS operating mode has already been implemented for the MESA®26 product. The FRMCS mode was the centrepiece of the function presentation in Belgium. Various call scenarios and railway-specific functions (e.g. ad hoc group call and functional alias, i.e. the registration of a train number) were successfully tested in front of invited railway representatives. The setup included components from various manufacturers and took place in the laboratory of our partner Ride on Track in Geel.
Another milestone was demonstrated with the function of the multipath protocol in the test environment of Deutsche Bahn, Digitale Schiene im Erzgebirge. Here it was demonstrated that the gateway from Funkwerk can operate several 5G networks simultaneously and can handle the data stream interoperably and without interruption.
For the virtual coupling of goods trains, Funkwerk has also been able to demonstrate on the basis of the gateway that the secure transmission of control data between several vehicles in multi-traction works. Here, Funkwerk has received approval for extended test operation. This involves equipping additional vehicles and training personnel. During this development, the requirements for the cyber security of the products were also tightened. The approval includes proof of compliance with these requirements. Funkwerk is thus on the way to implementing the requirements of the European Cyber Resilience Act (CRA).
Another function that Funkwerk was able to demonstrate in connection with the requirements from FRMCS and the gateway or the gateway software was the function of the interfaces OBRAD and OBANT. The requirements from the ETSI technical recommendation were demonstrated together with Huber & Suhner. Funkwerk is actively working on transferring the recommendations into a new standard.
The Funkwerk Group is a technologically leading provider of innovative communication, information and security systems made in Germany. With customised concepts, Funkwerk controls and rationalises operational processes in the areas of mobility and digital infrastructure.
