ETCS over TETRA, a reliable and proven solution

TELTRONIC HAS COMPLETED THE INTEGRATION OF ITS NEBULA SOLUTION WITH THE CONTROL SYSTEMS OF SOME OF THE MAIN TRAIN MANUFACTURERS WORLDWIDE.

Although GSM-R is the standard defined by the European regulation for the transmission of ETCS, Teltronic has developed some successful experiences with TETRA, the accepted digital radio standard for critical communications. The company has completed the integration of its solution NEBULA with the control systems of some of the world’s leading train manufacturers, proving the viability of this technology for railway signalling applications and becoming an alternative facing the upcoming obsolescence of GSM-R in 2025 according to forecasts.

TETRA provides a series of additional advantages that make it even more interesting. Since it is specified to operate in the lower part of the UHF, propagation losses are lower than with GSM-R and it needs fewer base stations to cover the same area. In addition, GSM-R uses bands which are close to those employed by commercial operators, and this fact can create interference and access problems.

TETRA has a spectral efficiency four times higher than GSM-R; provides critical communication features included natively in the standard such as group calls, emergency call or priority management, and the data services that facilitate train-ground operation and other railway management applications.

Likewise, TETRA technology is able to comply with the QoS requirements specified in the ERTMS (EIRENE) regulation, being a viable alternative to support railway signalling applications in high-speed environments outside of Europe, where the use of GSM-R technology is not compulsory.

Another significant advantage is that TETRA allows a smooth migration to hybrid and broadband solutions, meeting transport sector’s increasing needs of greater data capacity, and becoming a suitable solution for other signalling systems such as Communication Based Train Control (CBTC) and Positive Train Control (PTC).