A future-oriented success for the largest Swiss telecommunications company Swisscom: its engineers were able to establish a cellular connection with a transmission speed of 1.2 gigabits per second in a moving train. This was achieved on a four-kilometer test route on Lake Walen, which was lined with a newly designed antenna corridor. The test corridor was built together with the network equipment supplier Ericsson.

A positive side effect: The proximity of the antenna to the end devices means that the transmission power of the masts can be lower and the supply along the railway corridor is more targeted, according to Swisscom in its press release.

Windows permeable to mobile communications For more than ten years, a team at Swisscom has been researching and working on the continuous improvement of mobile communications for rail travelers and commuters . A first major milestone in this regard was the invention of window panes that were permeable to mobile radio signals, emphasizes Swisscom. This has already made it possible to bring mobile radio coverage directly into the train without any intermediate components.

The high bandwidth was produced with a combination of 4G and 5G -Mobile phone technology. When measuring the 5G response times, with eight milliseconds, a four times shorter reaction than with 4G was measured, says Swisscom.

Complete coverage With the antenna corridor, Swisscom has developed a feasible solution that should ultimately also be open to competitors, according to the company. The long-term goal is seamless mobile phone coverage along the most important routes for all mobile phone users and providers in Switzerland. After evaluating the results, the test corridor will be further optimized and validated with measurements in the first quarter 2021.

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