Connecting a continent

Released two decades ago, the Global System for Mobile Communications–Railway (GSM-R) specifications have been used successfully around the world. But as railways go digital, GSM-R can no longer support the bandwidth, latency, and connectivity requirements of modern rail systems.

In response, the International Union of Railways (UIC) began developing the next-generation communication system, known as the Future Railway Mobile Communication System (FRMCS).

Developed together with the European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI) and the Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), FRMCS is being developed to meet the evolving needs of modern railways, leveraging advanced technologies like 5G to provide faster, more flexible, more reliable communication.

As GSM-R systems reach the end of their lifecycle, their chips and other technologies are gradually becoming obsolete. This makes it challenging for railway operators to select a robust train-to-ground communication system.

Ports and Railways of Mozambique (CFM), a state-run company based in the capital city of Maputo, needed to upgrade it outdated GSM-R system. It worked with Huawei to deploy an LTE solution adopting the FRMCS architecture.

Connecting nations, one line at a time

Located on the Indian Ocean in Southern Africa, Mozambique is home to several large ports, including Maputo, Beira, and Nacala. From there, nine railway lines transport goods to other African countries including South Africa, Eswatini, Zimbabwe, and Malawi.

These ports have unique geographic advantages and are among the main transportation channels for import and export to neighboring inland countries. Mozambique also enjoys abundant marine resources — it has the world’s largest reserve of tantalum, a metal used in electronic components and surgical implants, and more than 15 billion tons of coal.

Smart and efficient railways are therefore crucial to Mozambique’s economy, enhancing the country's ties with nearby landlocked countries and promoting development through easier transport of natural resources.

Upgrades across the board

As the entity CFM responsible for maintaining Mozambique's railway and port infrastructure, it decided to upgrade its legacy communication infrastructure as well. The objective: build a modern, stable, and sustainable communication sys¬tem to ensure reliable train-to-ground voice and data communication.

According to UIC, the FRMCS system will work in parallel with the GSM-R system to achieve a smooth transition to 5G by around 2030. LTE networks are preferred, as they can be smoothly upgraded to 5G, allowing the FRMCS solution to evolve while meeting commercial deployment requirements, thereby protecting customers' investments.

To meet CFM’s needs, Huawei designed a targeted integrated dispatching communication system based on FRMCS. It uses a converged communication platform to provide MCX wireless broadband trunking (a broadband communication solution designed to meet the stringent requirements of mission-critical users such as police, firefighters, emergency services, utilities, and transport) as well as multimedia dispatching communication services.

The system provides panoramic, visualized, and controllable dispatching, as well as commands for dispatching personnel, locomotive drivers, and transportation management. This improves transportation security and O&M efficiency.

Setting the standard for efficient rail transport

Unlike its outdated counterpart, the system transmits real-time information quickly. This has reduced the number of security accidents, such as collisions between freight and passenger trains, as well as casualties among railway maintenance personnel.

The integrated dispatching communication system adopts an architecture based on international standards. This helps speed up the development of dedicated railway network communication technologies worldwide. At the same time, the updated system now has laid the technical foundation for building high-speed railways across Mozambique.

Working with Huawei to deploy a next-generation communication system, CFM has led the way for modernizing Africa’s use of railway communication technologies. The resulting enhanced transportation capacity can be expected to drive the country’s future economic growth.