GSM-R to FRMCS: How much can railways safely commit now?

The Future Railway Mobile Communication System (FRMCS) is moving towards deployment, but the standard is still evolving. V3p is planned for November 2026, with the final ERA-approved V3 set due in December 2027. With GSM-R support expected to end around 2035, railways are already facing decisions about when and how to begin investing in the next-generation network.

Nokia and Deutsche Bahn have deployed a 1900 MHz 5G standalone network supporting the forthcoming FRMCS specifications on live outdoor test tracks. For railways planning major migration programmes, the question is what they can safely commit to before the specification is fully settled.

What you’ll learn:

• What can be committed now: which elements of an FRMCS deployment can be specified and procured with confidence today, and where requirements are still likely to evolve
• What should remain flexible: how modularity, software upgradeability and open interfaces can reduce the risk of redesign – and what that flexibility costs to buy and to operate
• The migration-era architecture: how GSM-R and FRMCS can operate in parallel, and where spectrum, interference, capacity and cross-border roaming create practical risks
• The network architecture: what FRMCS requires from the 5G standalone core, quality of service and resilience, and where on-premise, cloud and hybrid approaches fit
• Security by design: how operational technology and information technology (OT/IT) convergence and the NIS2 Directive affect security architecture as rail moves towards an IP-based radio bearer

The big question: does waiting for greater specification certainty reduce risk, or simply move that risk further into the migration programme?

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