IF articles

Summary - The standard telecommunication system for the railways is GSM-R (The Global System for Mobile Communications Railways). Since 2004 the GSM-R has been the international mobile standard for railway communication, and it is at present the standard radio network solution adopted by the European railways. The ROC Industry Group (Railway Operational Communications Industry Group) has indicated that the support of GSM-R products and services is guaranteed until 2030. Based upon this information, the railway sector has to mitigate the risk of the non-availability of GSM-R as radio system for train operations after this date. With the fast development of highspeed railways, the new radio communication systems can be used to improve operational efficiency and to create important services. The most promising one is 5G-Railway. In this paper the authors give a first vision of the new possibilities and technical solutions regarding the new changer network. A great importance in given to railway services rather than technology and architecture. Technology and architecture will be the target of future articles.