Nokia has won a tender to test and deliver the world’s first standalone (SA) 5G system for automated rail operation in Hamburg, Germany.

The project is part of Deutsche Bahn’s automated S-Bahn operation project. The proof-of-concept will test whether 5G technology is mature enough to be used as the connectivity layer for future, digitalized rail operations.

The project constitutes an early and important step in the development of the Future Railway Mobile Communications System (FRMCS) standard, based on 5G, and sets the stage for the digital transformation of railway operations.

Nokia has experience in providing GSM-R systems to rail operators in 22 countries, covering 109,000 km of track. Overall, Nokia has provided networking, cybersecurity, IoT and analytics solutions to 110+ operators for both mainline and metro rail.

This project to deliver the first 5G SA solution for rail operation, further emphasizes Nokia’s leadership position.

The Nokia 5G solution is based on 3GPP standards for 5G mobile networks, allowing fully automated trains to exchange relevant data with trackside equipment by 5G radio. This will have positive effects on cross-border operation, capacity of rail infrastructure, punctuality of trains and also on customer experience.

Nokia has deployed over 1,000 mission-critical networks with leading customers in the transport, energy, large enterprise, manufacturing, webscale and public sector segments around the globe.

Nokia has also pioneered the private wireless space with many verticals, and has over 100 large enterprise customers deploying it around the world.