LTE for Railways (LTE-R) is a next-gen communications network dedicated for railway services, enabling high-speed wireless voice and data communications inside trains, from the train to the ground and from train to train. This network supports voice communication among drivers, control center operators, maintenance and other railway staff supporting; push-to-talk group communication, broadcasting, location-dependent addressing and multilevel prioritization; data communication for the train control signaling and other operation and maintenance as well as text messaging during voice communication; multimedia communication for wireless video surveillance, mobile video conference, file sharing, mobile office and passenger infotainment services.
Till now Global System for Mobile Communications - Railway (GSM-R) has been the standard for digital railway communications. But with the forecasted obsolescence of GSM-R technology in 2025, railways’ are migrating to LTE-R as the new standard.