Comparison of current solutions for the provision of voice services to passengers on high speed trains

Abstract

This paper examines the railway environment from the point of view of the provision of 2nd generation voice services. It examines the radio environment including fading, Doppler, transients, and penetration loss into carriages, as well as special situations such as cuttings and tunnels. The paper reports on the operation of the IS-95 and GSM voice services at high speeds, both assuming track side base stations and non-track side base stations. The paper draws conclusions on the different types of environment encountered both for conventional and high speed rail lines, and the effect these factors have on the overall link budget.