Funkwerk Systems GmbH successfully demonstrates the achievement of important milestones on the path to standards-compliant implementation of FRMCS in development and in the laboratory. In July and August, extensive tests and demonstrations of the current development status took place in its own laboratory environment and at key 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 appropriate hardware components. For this purpose, the accredited laboratory area has been completely overhauled in recent months to provide all necessary testing 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 measurements at the n100/n101 railway frequencies, this includes connections to the ETSI interoperable test environment, several development partners, and 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 enable the migration of existing equipment in various scenarios as well as the introduction of completely new communication approaches that go beyond use on railways. These include plug-in modules for making existing train radio systems 5G-capable, additional, stand-alone 5G modems and gateways. Software applications are available that run on Android and thus also on current smartphones and tablets, as well as on Linux. An FRMCS operating mode has already been implemented for the MESA®26 product. The FRMCS mode was a central point of the functional presentation in Belgium. Various call scenarios and railway-specific functions (e.g. ad hoc group calls and functional aliases, i.e. the registration of a train number) were successfully tested in front of invited railway representatives. The setup included components from a wide variety of manufacturers and took place in the laboratory of our partner Ride on Track in Geel.

Another milestone was demonstrated with the functionality of the multipath protocol in Deutsche Bahn's test environment, the Digital Rail in the Ore Mountains. Here, it was demonstrated that the Funkwerk gateway can serve multiple 5G networks simultaneously and handle the data stream seamlessly and interoperably.

For the virtual coupling of freight trains, Funkwerk has also demonstrated, based on the gateway, that the secure transmission of control data between multiple vehicles in multi-traction works. Funkwerk has received approval for extended test operations. This involves equipping additional vehicles and training personnel. During this development, the cybersecurity requirements for the products were also tightened. The approval includes proof of compliance with these requirements. This puts Funkwerk on the path to implementing the requirements of the European Cyber Resilience Act (CRA).

Another function that Funkwerk was able to demonstrate in relation to the FRMCS requirements and the gateway or gateway software was the functionality of the OB RAD and OB ANT interfaces. The requirements of the ETSI technical recommendation were demonstrated in collaboration with Huber & Suhner. Funkwerk is actively working on converting the recommendations into a new standard.

The Funkwerk Group is a technologically leading provider of innovative communications, information, and security systems made in Germany. With customized concepts, Funkwerk manages and streamlines operational processes in the areas of mobility and digital infrastructure.

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