Skip to main content

GSM-R market coverage grows nearly 50 per cent

GSM-R has been used in Europe for more than ten years to provide voice and data communications for railway and acts as a radio bearer for train control messages. Mandated by the European Commission and supported by the dynamic railway industry in the region, the GSM-R system has established a significant market in Europe. Over the past few years the market extended to regions outside Europe including Asia-Pacific, Middle East, and Africa. Led by Nokia, Kapsch CarrierCom, and Huawei, GSM-R track coverage
December 19, 2014 Read time: 2 mins
GSM-R has been used in Europe for more than ten years to provide voice and data communications for railway and acts as a radio bearer for train control messages. Mandated by the 1690 European Commission and supported by the dynamic railway industry in the region, the GSM-R system has established a significant market in Europe. Over the past few years the market extended to regions outside Europe including Asia-Pacific, Middle East, and Africa.

Led by 183 Nokia, 81 Kapsch CarrierCom, and 6787 Huawei, GSM-R track coverage is growing to 190,000 km by 2020, according to 5725 ABI Research.

Despite being the latest technology that caters to railways needs, GSM-R itself is based on 2G GSM which is now a declining technology. However, in the absence of strong alternatives, GSM-R continues to be the technology of choice for many new railway projects. System evolution and the development of the next-generation networks go hand in hand creating a transition period over the 2020’s. “GSM-R structure is migrating to an IP-based transmission network to improve performance, and lower OPEX, and is a step towards the next generation network,” comments Ahmed Ali, research analyst at ABI Research.

LTE is emerging as a strong candidate to succeed GSM-R considering the growing adoption in the commercial sector and the support from the majority of equipment manufacturers. Embracing LTE-based networks introduces new areas of growth and new market players to the industry.

“One interesting scenario is the collaboration between public network operators and railway operators to create a converged network and reduce cost. With LTE, providers like 4054 Alcatel-Lucent and 5650 Ericsson can further improve the railway solution market and drive competition,” continues Ali.

I’ll send the news to Natalie next week. Have a great Christmas and best wishes for 2015.

Related Content

  • June 14, 2012
    Europe to lead insurance telematics market
    The number of insurance telematics users in Europe will grow from 1.5 million in 2010 to 44 million in 2017, initially driven by the UK and Italy, according to ABI Research. Despite aggressive efforts from Progressive, North America will continue to lag behind the European UBI market, it says. Vice president and practice director Dominique Bonte comments, “While insurance telematics or usage based insurance (UBI) is far from a recent phenomenon, renewed interest in this market has been observed from both es
  • June 24, 2013
    Kapsch supplies GSM-R solution to Saudi Arabia
    Kapsch CarrierCom is to supply its GSM-R railway communications solution for a prestigious project in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, to ensure safe train operations on the 450 km high speed line between the holy cities of Mecca and Medina. The contract, awarded by Indra and the Saudi Railways Organisation, utilises the latest technology based on the European Rail Traffic Management System (ERTMS) level 2. The rail line will connect multiple urban regions as well as the international King Abdullah Airport. The
  • May 9, 2012
    New revenue streams for transit operators through NFC
    NXP has claimed the top spot in the contactless ticketing market in ABI Research’s new market analysis. Shipments of the Mifare range (Classic, Plus, Ultralight, and DESFire) remain strong despite some security concerns around the Classic product. ABI says that overall, Mifare has withstood scrutiny and demonstrates that the highest level of security is not an overriding factor in adoption with the focus on cost effectiveness, convenience, and reliability. The lack of alternative solutions has helped cement
  • August 8, 2012
    In-car navigation market bottoms out
    The total in-car navigation market has been in continual decline for the last three years, but ABI Research believes it has now reached its lowest ebb. While pure navigation is unlikely to reach the highs of 2008 again, the overall market is reaching a revenue plateau, creating a solid platform on which connected in-car services can bring a new generation of revenue growth. Senior analyst Patrick Connolly stated,” When we look at the decline from 2008 to 2011, there is a perfect storm of economic conditions