Table of Contents

Table of Contents...................................................................................................................1

Chapter 9 GSM-R Radio Network Planning........................................................................2

9.1 Overview....................................................................................................................2
9.2 Basic GSM-R Services..............................................................................................2
9.2.1 eMLPP............................................................................................................2
9.2.2 VGCS..............................................................................................................3
9.2.3 VBS.................................................................................................................3
9.3 GSM-R Cell Design...................................................................................................3
9.3.1 Single Cell & Uni-Direction..............................................................................3
9.3.2 Power Splitter & Single Cell & Bi-Direction.....................................................4
9.3.3 8-Shaped Antenna & Single Cell & Bi-Direction..............................................4
9.4 GSM-R Antenna Selection.........................................................................................5
9.5 GSM-R Coverage Design..........................................................................................5
9.5.1 Solution of Overlapping Coverage..................................................................5
9.5.2 Solution of Weak-Field Coverage....................................................................6
9.6 Entrance-Exit Handover Analysis..............................................................................6
9.7 GSM-R Frequency Planning......................................................................................7
9.7.1 Interference Analysis.......................................................................................7
9.7.2 GSM-R Frequency Planning Analysis.............................................................8
9.8 GSM-R Capacity Planning.......................................................................................11
9.8.1 Point-to-Point Traffic......................................................................................12
9.8.2 Group Call Traffic..........................................................................................12
9.8.3 Broadcast Call Traffic....................................................................................13
9.8.4 Data Service..................................................................................................14
9.8.5 Total Traffic Volume.......................................................................................14
9.9 Special GSM-R Network Planning Parameters.......................................................15
9.10 GPRS Application..................................................................................................15
9.11 GSM-R Service Forecast.......................................................................................15
 Chapter 9 GSM-R Radio Network Planning

9.1 Overview
GSM-R technology, an extension of GSM technology, is applied to railway
system. Since it is developed from GSM, in addition to basic GSM functions, it
has other functions, such as broadcasting call and group call. Compared with
traditional GSM network planning, GSM-R planning serves railway systems, so
you must consider the following factors:
 Fast fading of signals caused by fast-moving trains
 Frequency shift
 Coverage in tunnel and valleys
 Handover times
According to the characteristics of GSM-R services, this chapter introduces the
tasks involved in GSM-R planning, including antenna combination, frequency
planning, capacity planning, and handover algorithms.

9.2 Basic GSM-R Services

In 1993, UIC (Union Internationale des Chemins de Fer) designated GSM as the
platform for future railway communication services. To meet the communication
requirements on railways, ETSI SMG introduced ASCI, including eMLPP
(enhanced Multi Level Precedence and Pre-emption Service), VBS (Voice
Broadcast Service), and VGSC (Voice Group Call Service), to GSM phase 2+
standards.

9.2.1 eMLPP

eMLPP was put forwarded in 1994. At that time, ETSI (European

Telecommunications Standards Institute) was establishing the rules for GSM
phase 2, so eMLPP was researched in GSM phase 2+ instead of GSM phase 2.
In May 1997, ETSI issued GSM 02.67 (ETS 300 924) eMLPP phase 1 and GSM
03.67 (ETS 300 932) eMLPP phase 2. Currently, the standardization of eMLPP is
being implemented. In ISDN services is there a MLPP (see ITU-T I.255.3), and
eMLPP is developed from the MLPP and GSM network characteristics.
eMLPP includes precedence and pre-emption. The precedence means that you
can allocate certain priority authority to a GSM subscriber, and the subscriber
can select a priority level for each call within its authority. The way for the
subscriber to set up a call varies with priority level. The calls with higher priority
levels are set up faster than the calls with priority levels.
 The pre-emption means that the calls with higher priority levels can pre-empt the
resources of the calls with lower priority levels when network resources
(including processing capability, signaling channel, and traffic channel) are
scarce. To ensure the conversation of the calls with higher priority levels, the
network can disconnect the conversation of the calls with lower priorities.

9.2.2 VGCS

VGCS stands for Voice Group Call Service. It is corresponds to 03.68 protocols.
According to VGCS, a network is divided into multiple Group Call Areas (GCA),
and multiple Group IDs (GID) are defined in each GCA. A Group Call Reference
(GCR = GCA + GID) is an exclusive one in the network. The roles involved in
VGCS are speakers, receivers, and dispatchers.
When an MS starts a group call, the network side will set up one group call
channel in each cell within the GCA, and will send group call messages on the
Notification Channel (NCH), which is similar to the paging channel. When the
MSs belonging to this group detect notification messages on the NCH, they
automatically adjust them to the paging channel to receive the messages. When
intending to start the conversation, any receiver can press the key PPT (PUSH
TO TALK). The dispatcher own dedicated channels, so it can start the start the
conversation any time. For other subscribers in the group call, only one of which
can be the speaker, the others are receivers.

9.2.3 VBS

VBS can be realized on the VGCS platform. For VBS, only the subscriber
starting the call can be the speaker during the conversation, and other
subscribers are all receivers. Because no uplink access control is required for
VBS, it is realized easier than VGCS.

9.3 GSM-R Cell Design

Currently, three solutions are available for designing the antenna feeder
combination system of GSM-R. They are introduced hereunder:
 Table of Contents
 Power Splitter & Single Cell & Bi-Direction
 8-Shaped Antenna & Single Cell & Bi-Direction

9.3.1 Single Cell & Uni-Direction

As shown in 9.3.1, a cell covers the areas in one direction. If two cells are
needed in an area, you must configure the data for the two cells respectively. In
addition, the antennas, feeders, and antenna combiners used for the two
 directions are independent of each other.

Figure 1.1 Schematic diagram for single cell & uni-direction

However, this solution will increase handover times, which will affect system
performance. Because trains move fast, so the handover decision is short. As a
result, you must enlarge the overlapping areas of the signals in two reverse cells.
To solve this problem, you can use the antennas with small front-to-back ratio.
Though this contributes to seamless coverage of the cells in different directions,
you cannot decrease handover times.

9.3.2 Power Splitter & Single Cell & Bi-Direction

As shown in 9.3.2, a cell is split into two sectors in two directions. Each sector in
each direction use a set of antenna feeders, and each sector is configured as a
cell in terms of data. If using this solution, you must add power splitters to the
system. The power splitter can evenly split the signals in a cell into several parts
and send them to the antennas in various directions with the help of feeders.

Figure 1.2 Schematic diagram for power splitter & single cell & bi-direction

This solution can eliminate the handovers within the same base station, but the
power splitter will bring 3dB attenuation, so the coverage area of the base station
will be reduced accordingly.

9.3.3 8-Shaped Antenna & Single Cell & Bi-Direction

Compared with the solution introduced in 9.3.2, this solution enables signals to
be transmitted in various directions with the help of the 8-shaped and bi-
directional antenna. In addition, you do not have to add another feeders and
antennas to the system.
 Because the gain of the 8-shaped antenna is low, the coverage distance of the
base station is short. In addition, because the directional diagram of the 8-
shaped antenna is fixed, this kind of antenna in inapplicable to the coverage for
curving railways, such as “)” shaped railway. However, this solution can also
reduce handover times.
You must use the previous three solutions flexibly according to actual conditions.
For example, you can use the power splitter for railways with many curves and
use the 8-shaped antenna for direct railways. For railway stations, you can
normal solutions on GSM cell planning.

9.4 GSM-R Antenna Selection

You must select GSM-R antennas according to actual conditions. Generally, you
are required to select the antennas with high gain and narrow beams. In some
areas, you can consider the 8-shaped antenna. For the areas where base
stations are installed at high places, you need to consider using zero point-filling
antennas to cover the areas near the base station.
If base stations are installed in line, you can take 9.4 as a reference. In this
figure, the 8-shaped antenna with a gain of 14 dBi and an azimuth angle of 70º is
used.

Figure 1.3 Antenna directional diagram

9.5 GSM-R Coverage Design

There are many tunnels along railways, so GSM-R coverage is special.
Compared with normal networks, GSM-R must meet handover requirements on
weak-field coverage.

9.5.1 Solution of Overlapping Coverage

To ensure normal handover when the trains are moving fast, you must design an
overlapping converge area between neighbor cells.
 If a train moves at a speed of 350km/h, it will take 5 seconds for GSM signal
decoding and handover decision. As a result, the coverage distance must be
longer than 0.486km (350/3600*5 = 0.486). Therefore, to ensure normal
handover and network quality, you must design an overlapping area of about
500m2 between neighbour cells. If a train moves at lower speed, you can reduce
the overlapping area accordingly.

9.5.2 Solution of Weak-Field Coverage

In the GSM-R system, to avoid call drop and handover failure caused by fast
signal fading when two trains meet, you must make sure that the signals in the
tunnels are evenly distributed. In this case, the solution of weak-field coverage
can be [base station + optical repeater + leaky cable].
Currently, most leaky cables are 950m in length and optical repeaters can be
divided into near-end repeaters and remote repeaters. 9.5.2 shows a solution of
weak-field coverage.

Figure 1.4 A solution of weak-field coverage

In this figure, each leaky cable is about 950m in length. At present, a near-end
repeater can carry 8 remote repeaters. Therefore, to ensure the coverage at the
exits and entrances for the tunnels, you must consider downlink field strength
and carrier-to-interference ratio in GSM-R planning.

9.6 Entrance-Exit Handover Analysis

When trains moves into or out of tunnels, the signals fluctuates greatly at the
entrances or exits, so the signals may fail to handover from the cell in the tunnel
 to the cell outside the tunnel. As a result, call drops are generated. To solve this
problem, you must enlarge the overlapping areas between the cells inside and
outside the tunnel.

I. Handover at the tunnel exit

To ensure success handover at the tunnel exit, you can add a set of directional
antenna to the end of the leaky cable installed at the exit, with the radiation
directed to the outside of the tunnel. In this case, the coverage distance of the
cell inside the tunnel can be extended to the outside. Therefore, the handover
problems can be solved.

II. Handover at the tunnel entrance

At the tunnel entrance, the signals outside the tunnel will fade dramatically as a
result of shielding effect. In this case, the handover cannot be finished in time, so
call drops are generated. To solve this problem, you can install a parabolic
antenna at the tunnel entrance, with energy radiated to the outside of the tunnel.
Because the beam of the parabolic antenna is narrow, it can concentrate the
signal energy in a direction, which enables trains to finish the handover before
entering the tunnel.
If only a little energy is left when the signals arrive at the entrance, you can
introduce the signals outside the tunnel into the tunnel. To be specific, you can
install a repeater at the entrance. After amplifying the signals, the repeater will
introduce the amplified signals to the leaky cable to strength the signals in the
overlapping area. In this case, the handover problem can be solved.

9.7 GSM-R Frequency Planning

Since GSM-R is an extension of GSM, applying to railway communication, it has
the characteristics of the GSM in terms of general services. However, due to the
features of railway coverage and services, GSM-R network planning is different
from GSM network planning in some aspects. For both GSM-R and GSM,
frequency planning is of vital importance, because it determines the quality of
network. Therefore, this section focuses on analyzing GSM-R frequency
planning.

9.7.1 Interference Analysis

As introduce in Chapter 6, if the frequency reuse distance is “D”, the radius of the
cell is “R”, and “q” indicates the intra-frequency interference attenuation factor,
the following equation is present:
q =D/ R

If the intra-frequency cell and the service cell work together, the MSs in the
 service cell can receive both useful signals from the service cell and the
interference signals from the intra-frequency cell. In this case, the carrier-to-
interference ratio (C/I) can be expressed by the following equation:

C C
= k
I
∑I
i =1
k

Here I k indicates the kth interference signal. Also this equation can be

expressed as:

C 1
= k
I D
∑
i =1
( k )−r
R

Here qk indicates intra-frequency interference attenuation factor of the kth intra-

frequency interference cell. r indicates the path loss slope in the actual
geographic environment. In mobile environment, the values of r can be 3, 4, or
5. Generally, it is 4.

9.7.2 GSM-R Frequency Planning Analysis

Based on the geographic distribution of the base stations, the methods to plan
GSM-R frequencies can be designed according to the number of railway centers.

I. Frequecy planng for linear railway

In the railway system, to reduce handover times, you are recommended to use
the 8-shaped antenna or power splitter to split a cell into two sectors in two
directions. Hereunder specifies this solution.
The coverage of the base stations along the linear railway is in linear area. In
GSM-R frequency planning, the sectors of the cell reusing the same frequency
cannot face each other; otherwise great interference will be generated.
Therefore, in the GSM-R system, the number of frequency reuse groups must be
an even number. If it is an odd number, the two sectors facing each other will use
the same frequency.
For example, if three group numbers, such as 1, 3, and 5, form a frequency
reuse group, it is a certainty that there will be two cells facing each other. If the
four group numbers, 1, 3, 5, and 7, form a frequency reuse group, no cell will
face another cell. For details, see I.
Table 4.1 Frequency group analysis

Group number
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
Direction (degree)
180 0 180 0 180 0 180 0 180
Channel number
1 3 5 1 3 5 1 3 5

According to this table, the sector, whose group number is 4 and channel
number is 1, and the sector, whose group number is 7 and group number is 1,
will face each other.
To ensure the performance of the GSM-R system, you must make sure that even
frequencies instead of odd frequencies must be reused. Based on this principle,
you can estimate how many base stations are needed if the C/I requirement of
the GSM-R system can be met.
As shown in I. In the GSM-R system, if the base station “E” and the base station
“A” can reuse the frequency of the same group number, the “CO-F” indicates the
sector reusing the same frequency.

Figure 1.5 Schematic diagram for linear cell coverage

According to this figure, the base station dk away from the base station “A” has
intra-frequency interference against sector “CO-F” of base station “A”. If the
overlapping distance is 480m, dk can be expressed by the following equation:
dk = 2N*R - 480N
Therefore, C/I = [(2N - 480N)/R] r , which can help you calculate how many base
stations are needed to meet the C/I requirement of the GSM-R system.
Hereunder is a series of assumptions:
 Base station transmit power = 40W
 MS transmit power = 1W
 Antenna height = 30m
 Antenna diversity gain = 3 dB
 MS sensitivity = -102 dBm
 Base station sensitivity = -107 dBm
 Fading standard deviation = 8dB
  Edge coverage ratio = 95%
 Penetration loss = 10dB
If the previous assumptions are present, the coverage distance of the 900MHz
GSM-R system ranges from 6 to 12km.
Therefore, if r = 3.5; R = 6km; the C/I of the GSM-R system is required to be
greater than 9dB, so it is 12dB if a margin of 3dB is added. In this case, N =
1.146, so it is 2 rounding up to the nearest integer.
If if r = 3.5; R = 12km; the C/I of the GSM-R system is required to be greater than
9dB, so it is 12dB if a margin of 3dB is added. In this case, N = 1.123, so it is 2
rounding up to the nearest integer.
Therefore, if the base stations in a GSM-R system are linearly distributed, every
other 2 base stations (4 sectors) can reuse the frequency.

II. Frequency planning for non-linear railway

In actual railway systems, many trains may meet at a junction, as shown in II.
Trains from different directions will arrive at the junction, so you must pay special
attention to plan the frequencies at the junction.
In a railway system, you must take measures to reduce handover times, because
each handover may cause call drop. In particular, you must ensure that there is
no handover in the dispatching area during dispatching hours. To solve this
problem, you can construct a large omni-directional base station at the junction.
Hereunder is an example.
If the base station type is configured as O3 at the junction, trains from 6
directions will arrive at the base station. If the system uses 20 continuous
channel numbers (999-1018), in which the ones from 999 to 1005 can be
dedicated to O3 base station. For the channel number (1006), it is used to isolate
the O3 base station from the base stations at other junctions. For the remaining
13 channel numbers, they can be used for the base stations that have handover
relationship with the O3 base station.
 Figure 1.6 Multidirectional cells in railway system

As shown in II, dedicates channel numbers are allocated to the base station at
the junction, so you do not have to consider the base station at the junction.
Instead, you can plan the frequencies for the cells in 6 directions as planning the
frequencies for a 6-cell base station. For BCCH, 13 channel numbers can be
planned for 6 BCCHs. For details, see

Channel Direction Direction Direction Direction Direction Direction

1 2 3 4 5 6
BCCH 1007 1109 1111 1113 1115 1117
TCH 1114 1116 1118 1108 1110 1112

If you plan the frequencies according to this table, you may bring interference to
the system. For example, the TCH in direction 4 will interference the BCCHs in
the cells in direction 1 and 2. However, because the base station at the junction
isolates them and the GSM system has a relatively low requirement on neighbor
frequencies, so this solution will not cause strong interference. In addition, this
solution does not bring interference to the railways in neighbor directions.
For other cases, if trains from 3, 4, or 5 directions will arrive at the junction,
because the number of junctions is small, the frequencies are relatively
adequate. In this case, you can plan the frequencies for the base station to cover
the areas in five directions. To plan the frequencies for linear coverage area, you
can take the solution introduced in 9.7.2Ias a reference.
This solution is applicable when the base station at the junction is far away from
nearby base stations. If the base station is far away from other base stations,
you can control the interference easily. For example, in II, the base station in
direction 1 and that in direction 4 can reuse the same frequency.
The GSM-R frequency planning must be implemented according to actual
conditions. For the areas where the coverage and capacity must be met at the
same time, you can also use the directional base station.
Currently, for the GSM-R system, China use the E-GSM bands defined in GSM
protocols and China Mobile also uses the E-GSM band. Therefore, in actual
planning, you must discuss this problem with China Mobile and ensure that the
system meet C/I requirement.

9.8 GSM-R Capacity Planning

GSM-R capacity planning is a complex task. As the GSM-R service develops,
the requirement on network capacity changes. In GSM-R capacity planning, you
must consider the multiple factors, including point-to-point call, group call,
 broadcast call, data service, and subscriber number.

9.8.1 Point-to-Point Traffic

In the GSM-R system, the two parameters, P-Traffic and T-Traffic, determines
the amount of the point-to-point traffic.

I. P-Traffic

P-Traffic stands for the traffic generated by the daily maintenance staff in the
train station. Currently, it is estimated that the there are 100 staff employees in a
train station, and the average traffic of each one ranges from 0.01 to 0.02 Erl, so
it is 0.015 Erl in average. Therefore, the P-Traffic of each base station is 1.5 Erl.

II. T-Traffic

T-Traffic is the traffic generated by the subscribers when trains passe and stop at
the train station.
Generally, 2 trains will pass by a station at simultaneously. If 30 calls are
generated when the train passed by the station, and the conversation lasts for 60
seconds for each call, the T-Traffic can be expressed by the following equation:
T-Traffic = the number of trains * each call duration (s)/call times per hour (s) =
2*60/3600*30 = 1Erl.
Generally, only 1 train will stop at a base station at a time. If 10 calls are
generated by subscribers when the train stops at the station, and each
conversation lasts for 60 seconds, the T-Traffic can be expressed by the
following equation:
T-Traffic = the number of trains * each call duration (H)/call times per hour (s) =
2*10/3600*30 = 0.17Erl.
Therefore, the point-to-point traffic is 2.67 Erl in total. That is, point-to-point traffic
= P-Traffic + T-Traffic = (1.5 + 1 + 0.17) Erl = 2.67 Erl.

9.8.2 Group Call Traffic

To estimate group call traffic, you must consider the group calls generated by the
group call subscribers in the trains passing by and stopping at the train station. In
addition, you must also consider the groups call generated by the staff working in
the train station.
If a dispatcher starts a group call, the group call needs 3 channels under 1.5
mode. If the group call is not started by a dispatcher, it needs 2 channels. If the
probability for the dispatcher and the non-dispatcher to start the group call is
50% for each, you must consider the traffic metric (3*50% + 2*50% = 2.5).
  Note:

Under 1.5 mode, BSC allocates a dedicated channel to the speaker and the
speaker does not seize the uplink resource of the group call channel. When the
conversation finishes, the speaker releases the dedicated channel, thus
improving the conversation quality.

Generally, 2 trains will pass by a station at simultaneously. If 6 group calls are

generated when the train passed by the station, and the conversation lasts for
120 seconds for each call, the T-Traffic can be expressed by the following
equation:
T-Traffic = the number of trains * each call duration (s)/call times per hour
(s)*traffic metric = 2*120/3600*6*2.5 = 1Erl.
Generally, only 1 train will stop at a base station at a time. If 2 calls are
generated by subscribers when the train stops at the station, and each
conversation lasts for 120 seconds, the T-Traffic can be expressed by the
following equation:
T-Traffic = the number of trains * each call duration (s)/call times per hour
(s)*traffic metric = 1*120/3600*2*2.5 = 0.17Erl.
If there are 5 group call subscribers in a train station, and each subscriber starts
1 group call, and the conversation lasts for 120 seconds, the T-Traffic can be
expressed by the following equation:
T-Traffic = the number of group cal subscribers* each call duration (s)/call times
per hour (s) *traffic metric = 5*120/3600*1*2.5 = 0.41 Erl.
Therefore, the group call traffic is 1.58 Erl in total. That is, group call traffic = (1 +
0.17 + 0.41) Erl = 1.58 Erl.

9.8.3 Broadcast Call Traffic

Similar to the group call traffic, broadcast call traffic also requires traffic metric. If
a dispatcher starts a broadcast call, the call needs 1 channel under 1.5 mode. If
the group call is not started by a dispatcher, it needs 2 channels. If the probability
for the dispatcher and the non-dispatcher to start the group call is 50% for each,
you must consider the traffic metric (1*50% + 2*50% = 1.5).
Generally, 2 trains will pass by a station at simultaneously. If 3 broadcast calls
are generated when the train passed by the station, and the conversation lasts
for 30 seconds for each call, the T-Traffic can be expressed by the following
equation:
T-Traffic = the number of trains * each call duration (s)/call times per hour
(s)*traffic metric = 2*30/3600*3*1.5 = 0.07 Erl.
 Generally, only 1 train will stop at a base station at a time. If 1 broadcast call is
generated by subscribers when the train stops at the station, and the
conversation lasts for 30 seconds, the T-Traffic can be expressed by the
following equation:
T-Traffic = the number of trains * each call duration (s)/call times per hour
(s)*traffic metric = 1*30/3600*1*1.5 = 0.011 Erl.
If there are 5 group call subscribers in a train station, and each subscriber starts
1 broadcast call, and each conversation lasts for 30 seconds, the T-Traffic can
be expressed by the following equation:
T-Traffic = the number of group cal subscribers* each call duration (s)/call times
per hour (s) *traffic metric = 5*30/3600*1*1.5 = 0.06 Erl.
Therefore, the broadcast call traffic is 0.132 Erl in total. That is, group call traffic
= (0.07 + 0.011 + 0.06) Erl = 0.132 Erl.
In the GSM-R system, non-data services include point-to-point call, group call,
and broadcast call, so the total traffic of the non-data services are 4.38 Erl. (2.67
+ 1.58 + 0.132 = 4.38). If the call loss rate is 2%, 9 channels are needed for the
non-data services according to Erlang table.

9.8.4 Data Service

Currently, the data services, such as GPRS, shunting signal delivery, and
synchronization control, are used in GSM-R system.
Generally, a train station need 2 channels for GPRS service.
In the railway system, the orders and order confirmations controlling the trains
and abnormal alarms are quite important, so you must provide fixed channels for
them. Generally, a train station needs 2 channels for shunting signal delivery.
If a train has 4 heads, and 1 channel is needed to synchronize each head.
Therefore, if two trains meet, 8 (4*2=8) channels are needed to synchronize the
trains.
According to the previous analysis, the data services in a GSM-R system needs
12 (2 + 2 + 8 = 12) channels.

9.8.5 Total Traffic Volume

As described earlier, 21 (9 +12 = 21) channels are needed for the point-to-point
call, group call, broadcast call, and data services. In addition, another 2 signaling
channels must be considered, so a train station needs 23 channels in the GSM-
R system in normal conditions. In this case, you need to configure 3 TRXs for the
train station.
9.9 Special GSM-R Network Planning Parameters
The GSM-R system is different from the GSM system in some aspects, so not all
GSM technologies can be applied to GSM-R network planning.
 Data communication is an exclusive part in the GSM-R system, but DTX
has a negative effect against the signal strength and quality, so DTX is not
used in the GSM-R system.
 As defined in GSM protocols, the power control order will cause a delay of 2
TDMA frames, which will result in signal fluctuation, so power control is not
used in the GSM-R system.
 In the GSM-R system, the cells must be accurately controlled, but
restrictions from networking conditions will cause cross coverage. To solve
this problem, you can control the coverage area of each base station
through adjusting the related hardware. In addition, you can also define the
actual coverage area of the base station through setting the timing advance
(TA) to a proper value.
 Considering the security of railway communication, you must enable the
carriers within each cell to assist each other. In this case, if a carrier
disables, the communication still lasts.

9.10 GPRS Application

GPRS is favorable to bursting data services, so you can consider applying
GRPS to the GSM-R system. The GPRS has the following characteristics:
1) If having subscribed to the GPRS, a subscriber can access outside
networks, such as the Internet quickly without re-subscription.
2) GPRS enables radio resources to be efficiently. The details are listed in the
following.
 Radio channel resources are allocated to subscribers only when they
start data services.
 Multiple subscribers can share a radio timeslot/channel.
 A subscriber can use multiple timeslots. (It is 8 defined in protocols. At
present, a terminal can support up to 4 timeslots.)
 The data asymmetrically transmitted on uplinks and downlinks.
 Voice services and data services can share radio resources.

9.11 GSM-R Service Forecast

Currently, GSM-R services are being developed, so it is a certainty that the
GSM-R services will greatly diversified in the future. Hereunder lists some
several GSM-R service types:
 Scheduling radio queues
 Synchronically controlling and sending shunting signals
 Performing wind pressure at the train tail and sending control commands
 Sending dispatching commands
 Sending running number
 Performing emergency communication
 Sending train pull-in forecast