- Germany’s four telcos are exploring how 5G can improve connectivity on trains
- They plan to test gigabit-capable 5G coverage along a well-used section of Germany’s railway between Berlin and Hamburg
- The new project builds on the Gigabit Innovation Track initiative that was launched in 2023
The lack of reliable, high-speed mobile data coverage on trains can often be a source of frustration for those attempting to work (or play) on long trips. In Germany, efforts are being made to explore how 5G connectivity can be improved for rail travelers by using new technology that will be implemented for operational railway communications throughout Europe in the coming years.
Germany’s four mobile network operators, national railway operator Deutsche Bahn and the German government on Monday signed a joint declaration of intent to test what they describe as “gigabit capable” 5G coverage along a well-frequented section of Germany’s railway between Berlin and Hamburg.
The project is called “5G am Gleis” (5G on track) and will be implemented as part of a general overhaul of the Hamburg-Berlin route between August 2025 and April 2026.
Deutsche Bahn is using the closure of the line to set up radio masts for the Future Railway Mobile Communication System (FRMCS). Based on 5G, FRMCS is set to replace the current 2G-based GSM-R system for railway communications in Europe from around 2035.
Following the renovation of the line, 1&1, Deutsche Telekom, Telefónica Deutschland (O2) and Vodafone Germany will “examine the extent to which they can offer rail passengers gigabit bandwidths for mobile and data connections in the future by sharing the new radio masts close to the tracks.”
Busy rail route
According to Deutsche Bahn, the 278-kilometer railway connection between Hamburg and Berlin is one of the busiest rail routes in Germany, with up to 230 trains and 30,000 passengers per day.
Notably, 5G am Gleis builds on a project called Gigabit Innovation Track (GINT) that was launched in 2023.
Participants in GINT included Deutsche Bahn, Ericsson, O2 Telefónica and Vodafone Group’s Vantage Towers, and the aim was to create mobile communications with gigabit data rates along one test track in the south of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern.
The project also received €6.4 million in funding from the German government, whose “gigabit strategy” goals unveiled in 2022 include the provision of fiber-to-the-premises to every household by 2030, and the deployment of 5G wherever people live, work, and travel.
Valentina Daiber, board member for legal and corporate affairs at O2 Telefónica, said that “pioneering work” was carried out within the GINT project and described the declaration of intent for “5G am Gleis” as “an important step towards developing solutions for the increasing demand for fast internet on trains.”
“Now it is a matter of testing the technical feasibility and identifying the most effective approaches to bringing [gigabit speeds] to the train,” Daiber said. She also noted that “we need a viable financing concept to make the complex project future-proof.”
From 2G to 5G
European railways have been using the now somewhat outdated GSM-R technology for their operational communication needs since around 2000, but the 2G-based system is set to be phased out from around 2030, according to the International Union of Railways.
FRMCS is set to replace GSM-R and introduce 5G technology on railways from around 2035. As things stand, FRMCS is at a very early stage of development, with tests and prototype projects underway throughout Europe.
In a blog last week, Ericsson said around 20,000 new masts will be needed for FRMCS along the railway tracks throughout Germany in the coming years. The vendor noted that the masts “could also form the basis for high-performance mobile radio and data services for rail travelers.”
A study published last year by the European Commission as part of its Digital Decade Policy Program estimated that it will cost between €26.3bn and €78.9bn (depending on deployment scenario) to roll out 5G along 15,700 km of water ways, 106,600 km of highways and 113,000 km of railways.