Czech Railways (ČD) is improving mobile phone reception on board its long-distance trains. Following the full installation of 5G repeaters in all Railjet trains, other train types are now also being retrofitted.
The Czech railway company ČD has completed the installation of 5G mobile signal repeaters in all Railjet units. In an effort to enhance service and improve the quality of the mobile signal on board, the installation of 5G repeaters in Pendolino and InterPanter units is continuing.
In this phase, repeaters have been installed in a total of six Railjet units. The seventh unit had the technology fitted over the past two years as part of a trial of repeaters in rail transport.
‘The installation of mobile signal repeaters is one of our most important projects this year. I am delighted that the installation of repeaters in all of our blue Railjets has been completed in a short space of time. Passengers want and expect stable voice and data services, especially on long-distance journeys, and the mobile signal repeaters, which also support the fastest 5G networks, will ensure this. This is another strong argument for choosing the train for your journeys,’ says Michal Krapinec, Chairman of the Board of Directors and ČD CEO.
Alongside the repeaters, ČD is also planning laser treatment of the windows to make it easier for the mobile signal to pass through in trains used on major long-distance routes in the Czech Republic and abroad.
A train repeater is a technical device capable of transmitting the signal of mobile operators into the train or individual carriages and, if necessary, amplifying the output power of the signal. This eliminates the signal attenuation caused by the carriage body. The amplification rate is dynamically adjusted according to the current coverage. The output power is, of course, allocated impartially to each operator. The entire solution consists of an external broadband antenna that supports the transmission of GPS information, the repeater itself, a GSM-R attenuation filter that ensures the smooth operation of the railway signalling system (GSM-R / ETCS), and an internal infrastructure on board the train that distributes the signal.
