Extra mobile phone frequency on railway lines: criticism of the authorities free press

by time news

Bad reception on the train? Everyone knows. But how can it get better? Part of the solution could be the complete release of the 900 megahertz frequency.

Bonn.

On train routes, mobile phone companies are still only allowed to use an important frequency to a very limited extent in order to improve the mobile phone network.

Originally, the companies should be able to do this from December 11th, but after a decision by the network agency, the opening was postponed to December 2024. There is now criticism of this decision, which was justified with delays in the conversion of trains. The new schedule appears “unambitious and disproportionately long,” says Deutsche Telekom. More speed is needed “to advance the important provision of mobile communications on trains”. Telekom is in favor of release in mid-2023.

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Deutsche Bahn is also in favor of “a short-term postponement of a few months”. We very much regret the long postponement, says a railway spokesman. “Now around three billion passengers who use our trains every year have to wait another two years for better mobile communications on the rail routes.”

Vodafone says that the extra frequency is important for the goal of an uninterrupted data connection for mobile work or streaming on the train. “If we activate the additional area frequencies along the tracks, we will come a step closer to this goal,” says Tanja Richter, head of technology at Vodafone Germany. “Millions of commuters and travelers can benefit from this important expansion step.” Several media had previously reported on the Federal Network Agency’s decision.

It’s about the 900-megahertz frequency band, in which mobile phone network operators have so far not been allowed to transmit from cell phone masts that are in the immediate vicinity of the tracks. The reason for this is that interference with the GSM-R railway radio is feared. Engine drivers, signal boxes, construction crews and dispatchers use the to communicate with each other. With new technology – so-called hardened terminals – such interference no longer occurs. Therefore, all railway companies operating in Germany have been obliged to convert to these robust end devices by December 11, 2022. The federal government assumed up to 100 percent of the costs.

affected areas

The area directly next to the railway line is affected by the radio ban in the 900 frequency band. This is where most of the transmission masts that are intended to supply the routes are located. Exactly these stations are still not allowed to transmit in 900 megahertz. From a distance of 500 meters this is possible after a case-by-case check, but the check is complicated and takes time.

From such masts, which are quite far away, the companies could transmit in 900 megahertz to the tracks after a positive individual test, since the distance between their stations and the railway radio transmitters is large enough. In fact, according to information from the mobile communications industry, this possibility hardly plays a role because the network operators have their stations as close as possible to the tracks. The area directly on the train route is crucial – and that is still taboo.

The managing director of the telecommunications industry association VATM, Jürgen Grützner, also points out the importance of the 900 area frequency for network operators: “It helps to ensure constant data rates during train journeys.” The extension of the deadline ultimately brings disadvantages for rail customers. “Among other things, this has an impact on the speed with which the railway lines can be better supplied with mobile communications.”

For better mobile communications in the train, the locomotives have to be converted to the “hardened” terminals. In the end, progress was slow. Of the 14,000 locomotives that are registered in Germany, more than 1,000 have not yet been converted, according to the Bundesnetzagentur’s decision. The companies justified the delays with pandemic-related staff shortages, delivery bottlenecks and approval problems.

It is mainly about freight trains from railway competitors, Deutsche Bahn itself is relatively far – according to its own statements, it has prepared 97 percent of its vehicles accordingly, and the conversion process should be completed in summer 2023. 6000 DB vehicles are ready to go.

justification of the authority

The network agency considers the new two-year period to be necessary. The authority refers to figures according to which a more rapid approach could have negative consequences for rail traffic, for example for coal transport, which has become so important during the energy crisis. If you flipped the switch early and if the use of the new radio technology were mandatory, these trains would no longer be allowed to run.

“If the use of hardened devices was already mandatory, energy transport by rail would be made considerably more difficult,” says a spokesman for the network agency. The expansion of mobile communications on the rails could continue. “Sufficient other frequency ranges are also available for this purpose.”

According to the findings of the Bonn authorities, more than 800 locomotives will probably not have been converted by July 2023 and more than 400 by the beginning of 2024. “Vehicles that are used in cross-border freight transport in several countries will then be primarily affected,” says the network agency. It was not until the end of 2024 that the authorities believed that the situation would have eased to such an extent that the obligation for the “hardened” devices could take effect and would not have any major consequences for train traffic. (dpa)

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