Kapsch CarrierCom achieves functional addressing for railway communications

Kapsch CarrierCom’s Vienna lab has successfully carried out the first functional addressing call utilising SIP signalling based on the IP multimedia subsystem (IMS). The functional addressing service, also called ‘follow Me’, is one of the key operational features in railway communication networks and is the process of placing a call using a number that refers to the function which a user is performing at a certain time, as opposed to simply identifying the terminal equipment used. The achievement com
June 10, 2016 Read time: 2 mins
81 Kapsch CarrierCom’s Vienna lab has successfully carried out the first functional addressing call utilising SIP signalling based on the IP multimedia subsystem (IMS).

The functional addressing service, also called ‘follow Me’, is one of the key operational features in railway communication networks and is the process of placing a call using a number that refers to the function which a user is performing at a certain time, as opposed to simply identifying the terminal equipment used.

The achievement combines soft phone-based user equipment, IMS capabilities and the service logic hosted within the Service Control Point release 5 (SCP5) application server. Kapsch’s new SCP5 uses standard commercial off-the-shelf hardware and is a convergent Service Delivery Platform (SDP). It enables service centralisation, functional transparency against the underlying network architecture and a smooth transition between current networks and the future full-IP system and is fully enabled for virtualisation, allowing flexible and cost-efficient deployment in railway data centres.

Overall, the system used for the demonstration of functional calls is aligned with the concepts discussed in the ETSI TC RT working group NG2R and the vision outlined in the user requirements and system architecture defined by the UIC project, Future Railway Mobile Communication System (FRMCS).

It acts as a building block for the additional activities planned within the European SHIFT2RAIL project. The proposed transition of the Global System for Mobile Communications – Railway (GSM-R) core systems to IP-based systems offers a number of benefits. It is primarily targeted to be radio technology-independent and offers multi-bearer support. In addition, it will increase reliability and availability, improve safety and reduce costs.

Within the next few years, European railway operators are expected to start to migrate to IP-infrastructure by adopting new technologies and prepare for the migration towards the future railway communication system.

In December 2015, Kapsch became associated member of SHIFT2RAIL and undertook responsibility for carrying out the analysis, specification and implementation of a prototype for a future communication system emergency call under the Innovation Programme 2.

Related Content

  • January 27, 2015
    Kapsch to provide radio infrastructure for Rio metro
    Kapsch has been selected to provide the TETRA radio infrastructure for a new metro line in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Kapsch will provide four base stations, 30 in-train cab radios and 140 hand-held portable radios, as well as planning, design and deployment, to integration with existing communications systems on other metro lines. With 15 trains serving six major stations, the new Line 4 will take more than 2,000 cars off the road at peak times, helping to resolve some of the city’s worst traffic bott
    Read More
  • January 27, 2015
    Kapsch to provide radio infrastructure for Rio metro
    Kapsch has been selected to provide the TETRA radio infrastructure for a new metro line in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Kapsch will provide four base stations, 30 in-train cab radios and 140 hand-held portable radios, as well as planning, design and deployment, to integration with existing communications systems on other metro lines. With 15 trains serving six major stations, the new Line 4 will take more than 2,000 cars off the road at peak times, helping to resolve some of the city’s worst traffic bott
    Read More
  • February 13, 2014
    The smart tram, M2M solution for urban transport
    A joint pilot project involving Kapsch CarrierCom, Bombardier and Linz AG Linien has demonstrated machine to machine (M2M) communication for use in the urban transport sector. The solution developed by Kapsch was installed in a number of Linz AG Linien trams in collaboration with the manufacturer Bombardier. The trams are equipped with numerous sensors, which measure various parameters. The data is transmitted to the operations control centre in real time and continuously analysed, enabling the tram oper
    Read More
  • February 1, 2012
    Growing use of PC-based systems for urban traffic control
    Siemens Mobility's Mark Bodger discusses the growing use of PC-based systems for urban traffic control. Across the ITS sector, there is a common trend of taking traffic and travel management out of the hands of bespoke solutions, realising the use of common, open-source technologies and solutions and enjoying all the attendant economies of scale and ease of use which that implies.
    Read More

Highlighted Content