Vienna, August 16th, 2010
Europe’s largest trade fair for transport technology takes place in Berlin between September 21st and 24th, 2010 – also Kapsch CarrierCom is present at this event (hall 5.1 / stand 119). With the acquisition of parts of Nortel’s Carrier Networks Division, Kapsch CarrierCom, previously regionally focused on Central and Southeastern Europe, is now one of the key players in the international GSM market. With a market share of 52% of the GSM-R (Global System for Mobile Communications-Railway) worldwide market, measured in kilometers of railway tracks covered by GSM-R railway infrastructure, Kapsch CarrierCom is also the number one supplier worldwide. GSM-R is a technology, which revolutionises international railway traffic. Kapsch CarrierCom not only customises the technology to the customer’s requirements, but also develops future solutions together with its customers.
“The InnoTrans trade fair is the optimal platform to present Kapsch CarrierCom as the new global GSM-R market leader to the railway community. We have approximately 30 years of experience in analogue and digital wireless train communication and we continue to develop our solutions further. GSM-R is not an ‘add-on’ for Kapsch CarrierCom, instead it is a key business as this technology is integral for the further development of the international railway networks. GSM-R increases the cost effectiveness of the railway and creates an important competitive advantage for the railway operators against road traffic. GSM-R is an important strategic business for us”, says Kari Kapsch, Kapsch CarrierCom’s CEO. “The largest European railway operators such as those in Germany, France and the United Kingdom rely on our expertise due to our extensive experience. These customers chose Kapsch CarrierCom as a partner because we are able to deliver end-to-end solutions and act as a general contractor for the complete project. We can respond precisely and flexibly to our customer’s requirements and develop future solutions together with the customer. We will present our extensive portfolio at InnoTrans,” concludes Kari Kapsch.
GSM-R enables borderless communication
GSM-R revolutionises international railway traffic. With the inter-connection of the European GSM-R networks and using the internationally standardised end-user terminals, cross-border communication using the same equipment is possible for international trains. In the past, trains had to be equipped with various wireless communication systems depending on the routing. Individual railway specific operating procedures also complicated the communication. Due to these complexities, GSM-R was defined as a uniform wireless communication system for the European railways as part of a European-wide convention (TSI/EIRENE). The EU supports the introduction of a European Rail Traffic Management System (ERTMS). The objective of this project is to establish one unique and seamless European train radio network, instead of different national systems. This considerably increases the competitiveness of rail traffic compared to road traffic. 79,300 km of rail have already been equipped with GSM-R in Europe, thereof 65,800 km are already in operation. In total 150,650 km of rail are planned to be equipped with digital wireless train communication in the coming years.
The unique GSM-R system ensures that only one communication system is required on international freight and passenger trains. The time-consuming operation of different, national systems is no longer required. Freight and passenger trains are dispatched faster at the border and are more quickly handed over to the neighbouring country’s railway operator. GSM-R is planned as the transmission system for ETCS (the European Train Control System) and is the basis for a new Europe-wide unique signalling and train warning system. ETCS shall replace the various warning systems in the coming years and simplify the cross-border implementation of railway tractive units. ETCS automatically monitors the trains’ movements and, if applicable, intervenes in the train control system. The railway infrastructure’s capacity and economic efficiency increases due to the shorter distance between trains and higher speeds.
Numerous additional functions for more convenience during rail travel
GSM-R offers the security of a well-proven technical system (GSM) as well as a number of additional functions such as the Gang warning system or electronic passenger information in a train. Many value-added applications such as ticket sales in the train, seat reservations as well as freight tracking can be implemented using GSM-R. Applications present an interesting growth market for Kapsch CarrierCom in the coming years. For this reason, Kapsch CarrierCom is permanently developing new solutions and enhancing existing ones. The applications are offered to customers as end-to-end solutions, which further expands Kapsch CarrierCom’s global GSM-R market leadership.
Kapsch CarrierCom is a reliable partner for leading railway operators
Kapsch CarrierCom expanded its customer base during the past years and with the acquisition of parts of Nortel’s Carrier Networks Division, its technology is present in multiple markets around the world. Among these are France, Germany, the United Kingdom, Spain, Austria, the Czech Republic, Lithuania, Turkey, Algeria, India and China. The close collaboration with these leading railway operators strengthens the company’s innovation, as new and individual solutions are constantly being created based on customer needs. Kapsch CarrierCom is one of the most important participants within the EIRENE process to introduce GSM-R Europe-wide and is a major contributor in developing applications in authoritative institutions such as ETSI TC-RT, GSM-R IG, UIC und ERA. Kapsch CarrierCom has also obtained full certification from CERTIFER, the French railway safety agency, for the GSM-R system installed for a Réseau Ferré de France initiated Public Private Partnership.
About Kapsch CarrierCom AG
Kapsch CarrierCom is a global system integrator and innovator of fixed, mobile, transportation and access networks solutions. The company provides an end to end service spectrum: from analysis and consulting, design and product development, integration and installation, to training, maintenance and support, as well as operation of complete networks. Kapsch CarrierCom is a global leader in the development of future technologies for service providers and has achieved world-wide market leadership in GSM-R digital wireless train communication. Among Kapsch CarrierCom’s customers are some of the largest GSM-R railway operators in important markets such as France and Germany which has the world’s largest GSM-R network.
