Nokia and Deutsche Bahn (DB) have launched the world’s first commercial 1900 MHz (n101) 5G radio network with a standalone core, operating on DB’s live outdoor test tracks in Germany. The project marks a milestone in the shift from GSM-R to the 5G-based Future Railway Mobile Communication System (FRMCS), designed to deliver safer, more efficient and digitally enabled rail operations.
The 1900 MHz band has been reserved for 5G railway communications in Europe. Nokia’s deployment shows how this spectrum can support greater capacity, resilience and reliability, while enabling services such as automated train operations, smart maintenance and improved passenger experience.
DB and Nokia on Innovation
Rainer Fachinger, Head of Telecom Platforms at DB InfraGO, said: “Deutsche Bahn wants to benefit from modern 5G-based telecommunications to upgrade the railway communication infrastructure. Collaborating with technology experts like Nokia is key for DB to bring the latest innovations into our real-world operations. This deployment on test tracks builds on a successful pre-FRMCS 5G trial conducted with Nokia and aims to standardise our private mobile network as a foundation for further pilots and future rollout.”
Rolf Werner, Head of Europe at Nokia, added: “Nokia and DB have been frontrunners in advancing FRMCS. We are proud to deliver the first-ever commercial 5G solution that utilizes the 1900 MHz spectrum band on the rail track. This is a milestone that will unlock key benefits for DB, including automated train operations, smart maintenance, and intelligent infrastructure and stations.”
Testing in the Ore Mountains
The technology is in use at DB’s digital railway test field in the Ore Mountains, running on live trains. It features failover protection, self-healing functions and real-time monitoring to meet the high resilience and low latency requirements of railways.
European FRMCS Progress
The deployment also contributes to the European FP2-MORANE-2 project, which builds on earlier FRMCS initiatives to advance rail digitalisation across Europe.
DB continues to trial Nokia’s 3700 MHz (n78) 5G network alongside the new 1900 MHz solution, both supported by Nokia’s AirScale portfolio. Together, they will enable a smooth migration from GSM-R and establish the backbone of FRMCS, the future global standard for mission-critical railway communications.
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