Frequentis’ railway specific bearer-independent communications system (BIC) in Finland wins International Critical Communications Award.
The International Critical Communications Awards (ICAA) focus on excellence in the public safety sector and 42 shortlisted entries were competing for just 10 awards. Industry experts on the judging panel praised the Frequentis project for its interesting and innovative evolution from GSM-Rail (Global System for Mobile Communications – Railways) to the Future Railway Mobile Communication System (FRMCS), hailing it an important integration project.
TCAA Chairman, Transport Working Group
Frequentis implemented the Unified Railway Communication and Application (URCA) system for the Finnish Transport Agency, to fulfil its need for a cost saving transitional solution to the future GSM-Rail replacement. Since February 2019 Finnish railway users are able to use the Finnish Public Safety digital TETRA radio network and public mobile networks for all railway-specific communication functionalities. This allows greater flexibility to follow the future evolution of such networks, as well as ensuring less dependency on one specific communication standard.
“It is a great achievement to win this prestigious award for the best use of critical communications in transport. Over the past few years we have evolved the Frequentis fixed terminal rail voice communication system, FTS 3020, into a multi-bearer solution for rail communications applications to operate not only with GSM-R but also TETRA and LTE radio networks. This provides bearer independence, allowing users to overcome increasing operational cost and technical issues.”
Critical Communications World is TCCA’s flagship event, running for over 20 years. Award categories included; Best use of mission-critical communications during a major event, Best use of critical communications in transport, Best Use of Critical Communications in Utilities, Best Use of Critical Communications in Other Vertical Markets, Greatest Advance in the Migration to Critical Broadband, Best New Infrastructure Solution, Best New LTE or Hybrid Device, Outstanding Example of After-Sales Support, TCCA Young Engineer of the Year, and Outstanding Contribution to Critical Communications.
Winners were announced on June 18, during Critical Communications World, at the Malaysia International Trade and Exhibition Centre (MITEC) in Kuala Lumpur.
