Skip to main content

Kapsch offers improved cab radios for railway communications

Kapsch CarrierCom, in partnership with Sierra Wireless, has launched two improved railway cab radios. The RC900 voice and data cab radio and the RD900 data radio are equipped with the latest Sierra Wireless HPRM1radio modules called, which ensure additional robustness against unwanted radio interference and blocking. A stable radio connection is an essential requirement for the railway system. Due to the growing networks of public operators, more and more interference is affecting the communication withi
September 18, 2014 Read time: 2 mins
RSS81 Kapsch CarrierCom, in partnership with 7884 Sierra Wireless, has launched two improved railway cab radios. The RC900 voice and data cab radio and the RD900 data radio are equipped with the latest Sierra Wireless HPRM1radio modules called, which ensure additional robustness against unwanted radio interference and blocking.

A stable radio connection is an essential requirement for the railway system. Due to the growing networks of public operators, more and more interference is affecting the communication within GSM-R networks (GSM for railways). This can result in a loss of radio communications, denial of ETCS (European Train Control System) services and dropped Railway Emergency Calls (REC). The Sierra Wireless HPRM1 radio modules used in the new Kapsch cab radios have improved receiver parameters which are compliant with the latest versions of ETSI (6613 European Telecommunications Standards Institute) specifications.

“The increase of unwanted interference in the GSM-R band is becoming a major challenge for the operation of railway communication systems. Until now we have solved these problems with external filters. Thanks to the new Sierra Wireless technology we now can offer cab radios to our customers with built-in filter technology that solves the majority of interference resulting from public 3G and 4G networks, and this without any external filter,” explains Thomas Schöpf, COO of Kapsch CarrierCom.

“As network operators shift capacity towards 3G and 4G networks, reliable radio filtering technology on GSM-R products has become a critical factor in minimising interference and ensuring uninterrupted connectivity,” said Charles Derivaux, vice-president, Sierra Wireless. “This technology has been incorporated into our newest GSM-R products, and the HPRM1 has been ranked number one in benchmark and performance tests by third-party organisations in the railway industry.” 

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • High Speed 2 should be part of integrated transport policy
    September 13, 2013
    The UK’s Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) is calling for the High Speed 2 (HS2) proposals to be reassessed to become part of an integrated transport programme of metro, rail, bus and road projects to revitalise the cities of the Midlands and North. The call comes as the Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin reasserted the case for the new rail line. Prof Phil Blythe, chair of the IET Transport Policy Panel, said: “We are supportive in principle of high speed rail, but we believe that
  • VMS can counter small screens’ big problems
    June 9, 2015
    Lacroix Trafic’s Steve Collins believes the improving trends in road safety could go into reverse unless authorities make full use of the latest LED technology to meet drivers’ information needs. Road authorities and vehicles manufacturers could and should be far more active in countering some of the transportation industry’s major problems, according to Steve Collins export sales director at Lacroix Trafic.
  • New London office as Kapsch expands UK operations
    November 19, 2015
    Kapsch has opened a branch office in London to represent its CarrierCom and TrafficCom businesses. The company is a technology supplier to Transport for London’s congestion charging scheme as well as providing Network Rail with GSM-R communications and digital radio communications for the Tyne and Wear Metro. Kapsch TrafficCom is also working with Highways England (and its Dutch equivalent, Rijkswaterstaat) on what it said will be Europe’s most advanced integrated traffic management systems. With the
  • Installed base of fleet management systems in Europe to reach 10.6 million by 2020
    August 26, 2016
    The number of active fleet management systems deployed in commercial vehicle fleets in Europe was 5.3 million in Q4-2015, according to a new research report from the M2M/IoT analyst firm Berg Insight. Growing at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 14.9 percent, this number is expected to reach 10.6 million by 2020. All the top-10 vendors have today more than 100,000 active units in Europe. TomTom’s subscriber base has grown both organically and by acquisitions during the past years and the company ha