Deutsche Bahn, along with mobile communications provider Telefónica, transmission tower operator Vantage Towers, and network supplier Ericsson, are conducting a feasibility study on improving mobile phone reception on railway lines in the face of increasing data requirements. The “Gigabit Innovation Track” (GINT) pilot project aims to test various technologies along a ten-kilometer railway line in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania until the end of 2024. Ten new pylons of different designs will be erected, with some using no concrete foundations to save CO2 and time.
Telefónica’s 3.6 GHz frequencies will be used to test the radio, enabling fast mobile data transmission with a shorter range than 4G mobile communications. Around 20,000 new masts are required along the rails throughout Germany, with one radio mast supplying about one kilometer of railway line. Deutsche Bahn has stated that data rates of up to 5 GBit/s per train will be necessary between the radio masts on the route and the passing trains by the beginning of 2030 to cover travel data requirements.
The future rail radio FRMCS (Future Rail Mobile Communication System) will also be tested, using a dedicated frequency spectrum at 1900 MHz, and additional radio masts. Cooperation models may also be used to allow radio masts to be used together for FRMCS connections and 5G supply for passengers in a competition-neutral manner.
Federal Transport Minister Volker Wissing has handed over a funding decision of 6.4 million euros to the GINT project to improve the attractiveness of train travel. Deutsche Bahn and Telekom are also working on closing dead spots, with plans to supply the entire rail network with mobile communications without any gaps by the end of 2026.
