Norway’s rail infrastructure manager Bane NOR says it has broken a new world record for mobile connectivity in a tunnel.
Working with Scandinavian mobile phone operators Telia and Telenor, Bane Nor says it achieved transmission rates of 580 megabits per second (mbps) during tests.
Norway’s transport ministry has allocated funds to improve mobile phone connectivity in tunnels.
Building a “high-speed” mobile network was also central to the development of the Follo line, a planned 22.5km capacity-unlocking railway between Oslo and Ski that will feature a 20km railway tunnel with two separate tubes when it opens in 2021.
The test took place in an old road tunnel in Holmestrand, where a test facility has been installed.
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A spokesperson for Bane NOR said: “The measurements during the technical test came in at a total of 580 [mbps], which is a world record in high–speed network in a tunnel.
“Inside the tunnel, four radiating cables was installed and connected to a radio transmitter with 4G 4×4 [multiple-input-and-multiple-output] setup, instead of traditional one radiating cable. As far as we know, this has never been done before in a full-scale tunnel.”
Project director David Borenstein added (Translated from Norwegian): “This is impressive work and Bane NOR are looking forward to offer a high-speed mobile network to our future train passengers.
“Now we are building a mobile facility with a capacity that will provide good, stable and satisfactory mobile coverage for the many train passengers inside the long tunnel on the Follo line.”
Telia has plans for further tests to achieve even higher speeds.
Read more:Â Samsung successfully tests 5G on high-speed train in Japan
