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Independent reference on the Future Railway Mobile Communication System
FRMCS ATLAS

Organisations & bodies

Who shapes FRMCS?

FRMCS is shaped by the interplay of railway organisations, standardisation bodies, authorities and industry. This directory shows their tasks and contributions — from operational requirements through technical specifications to regulatory requirements.

Editorial status: All entries are under review. The short descriptions rely on the linked official source in each case; the original source is always authoritative. A publication by a body is not automatically legally binding.

50 entries

UIC – International Union of Railways

OrganisationRequirementsTechnical standardisation

International Union of Railways. Runs the FRMCS programme, in which railways develop their operational requirements and the railway-specific system specifications for FRMCS.

Mainly publishes: Requirements, System specifications

Official source: uic.org

Sub-bodies

ETSI – European Telecommunications Standards Institute

OrganisationTechnical standardisationIn review

European standardization organization for telecommunications. Transfers railway-specific FRMCS provisions into European standards and technical specifications.

Mainly publishes: Technical specifications, European standards

Official source: etsi.org

Sub-bodies

  • TC RT – Technical Committee Rail Telecommunications

    Working group/CommitteeTechnical standardisation

    ETSI technical committee for railway telecommunications; responsible for the technical standardization of GSM-R and FRMCS at ETSI.

    Mainly publishes: Technical specifications, Technical reports

  • CTI – Centre for Testing and Interoperability

    Coordination/Validation bodyValidation/DeploymentIn review

    ETSI division for testing and interoperability support. Among other things, organizes the FRMCS Plugtests – a series of events and validation activities, not a committee in its own right.

    Mainly publishes: Test reports, Plugtest reports

3GPP – 3rd Generation Partnership Project

OrganisationTechnical standardisationIn review

Partnership of regional standards organizations that develops mobile communication standards (including 5G). Railway-specific requirements are incorporated into these standards as features; not every 3GPP publication is FRMCS-relevant.

Mainly publishes: Technical specifications, Technical reports

Official source: 3gpp.org

Sub-bodies

  • TSG SA – Technical Specification Group Service and System Aspects

    Working group/CommitteeTechnical standardisationIn review

    3GPP group for services, system architecture and security. Railway-related service and mission-critical requirements are also addressed here.

    Mainly publishes: Technical specifications

    • SA1 – TSG SA Working Group 1 – Services

      Working group/CommitteeTechnical standardisationRequirementsIn review

      Develops service requirements (Stage 1); direct railway-specific work into which railway requirements are fed.

      Mainly publishes: Requirement specifications

    • SA2 – TSG SA Working Group 2 – Architecture

      Working group/CommitteeTechnical standardisationIn review

      System architecture of the mobile network (Stage 2); predominantly underlying mobile standardization.

      Mainly publishes: Architecture specifications

    • SA3 – TSG SA Working Group 3 – Security

      Working group/CommitteeTechnical standardisationIn review

      Security and privacy in the mobile system; underlying standardization, relevant for secure railway communication.

      Mainly publishes: Security specifications

    • SA6 – TSG SA Working Group 6 – Application Enablement and Critical Communication Applications

      Working group/CommitteeTechnical standardisationIn review

      Mission-critical applications (MCX such as MCPTT, MCData, MCVideo); direct basis for FRMCS communication services.

      Mainly publishes: Technical specifications

  • TSG CT – Technical Specification Group Core Network and Terminals

    Working group/CommitteeTechnical standardisationIn review

    3GPP group for core network protocols and terminal interfaces.

    Mainly publishes: Protocol specifications

    • CT1 – TSG CT Working Group 1

      Working group/CommitteeTechnical standardisationIn review

      Protocols between the terminal and the core network (Stage 3), including protocols for mission-critical services.

      Mainly publishes: Protocol specifications

  • TSG RAN – Technical Specification Group Radio Access Networks

    Working group/CommitteeTechnical standardisationIn review

    3GPP group for the radio access network, including 5G New Radio; underlying mobile standardization.

    Mainly publishes: Radio specifications

    • RAN1 – TSG RAN Working Group 1 – Physical Layer

      Working group/CommitteeTechnical standardisationIn review

      Physical layer of the radio interface.

      Mainly publishes: Radio specifications

    • RAN2 – TSG RAN Working Group 2 – Radio Layer 2 and Layer 3

      Working group/CommitteeTechnical standardisationIn review

      Protocols of the radio interface above the physical layer.

      Mainly publishes: Radio specifications

    • RAN3 – TSG RAN Working Group 3 – Architecture and Interfaces

      Working group/CommitteeTechnical standardisationIn review

      Architecture and interfaces of the radio access network.

      Mainly publishes: Interface specifications

    • RAN4 – TSG RAN Working Group 4 – Radio Performance and Protocol Aspects

      Working group/CommitteeTechnical standardisationSpectrumIn review

      Radio and performance requirements, including for frequency bands – also relevant for the railway bands.

      Mainly publishes: Radio requirements

ERA – European Union Agency for Railways

AuthorityRegulationValidation/DeploymentIn review

EU Agency for Railways. Responsible for the Technical Specifications for Interoperability (TSI) and supports the inclusion of FRMCS in the European provisions for train control and signalling.

Mainly publishes: Recommendations to the Commission, TSI drafts

Official source: era.europa.eu

EK – Europäische Kommission

AuthorityRegulationSpectrumIn review

Issues the binding EU legal acts, such as TSI regulations and frequency decisions. Committees of the member states contribute but do not themselves enact law.

Mainly publishes: Regulations, Implementing decisions

Official source: eur-lex.europa.eu

Sub-bodies

  • DG MOVE – Generaldirektion Mobilität und Verkehr

    AuthorityRegulationIn review

    Responsible for the railway policy and regulatory context, including ERTMS.

    Mainly publishes: Policy documents, Draft legal acts

  • RISC – Railway Interoperability and Safety Committee

    Working group/CommitteeRegulationIn review

    Committee of the member states that supports the Commission on railway interoperability and safety, for example on TSI amendments. Not to be confused with the Radio Spectrum Committee.

    Mainly publishes: Committee opinions

  • RSC – Radio Spectrum Committee

    Working group/CommitteeSpectrumRegulationIn review

    Committee of the member states that supports the Commission on technical frequency decisions – including railway frequencies.

    Mainly publishes: Committee opinions

CEPT – European Conference of Postal and Telecommunications Administrations

OrganisationSpectrumIn review

Association of European telecommunications administrations; develops the technical basis for frequency use in Europe.

Mainly publishes: Reports, Decisions

Official source: cept.org

Sub-bodies

  • ECC – Electronic Communications Committee

    Working group/CommitteeSpectrumIn review

    CEPT committee for electronic communications and frequency harmonization.

    Mainly publishes: ECC decisions, ECC reports

    • WG FM – Working Group Frequency Management

      Working group/CommitteeSpectrumIn review

      ECC working group for frequency management and harmonization.

      Mainly publishes: Reports, Draft decisions

    • WG SE – Working Group Spectrum Engineering

      Working group/CommitteeSpectrumIn review

      ECC working group for frequency-technical compatibility studies.

      Mainly publishes: Compatibility reports

ITU – International Telecommunication Union

OrganisationSpectrumIn review

UN specialized agency for telecommunications. Relevant for the international railway radio context (RSTT), not the publisher of the FRMCS core specification.

Mainly publishes: Recommendations, Reports

Official source: itu.int

Sub-bodies

  • ITU-R – ITU Radiocommunication Sector

    Working group/CommitteeSpectrumIn review

    Radiocommunication sector of the ITU for international frequency and radio regulation.

    Mainly publishes: Recommendations, Reports

    • SG 5 – Study Group 5 – Terrestrial Services

      Working group/CommitteeSpectrumIn review

      ITU-R study group for terrestrial radio services.

      Mainly publishes: Recommendations, Reports

      • WP 5A – Working Party 5A

        Working group/CommitteeSpectrumIn review

        Working group under SG 5 that addresses, among other things, Railway Radiocommunication Systems between Train and Trackside (RSTT).

        Mainly publishes: Recommendations, Reports

UNIFE – European Rail Supply Industry Association

OrganisationIndustry/UsersIn review

Association of the European rail supply industry. Contributes technical input; no binding regulatory authority.

Mainly publishes: Position papers, Technical contributions

Official source: unife.org

Sub-bodies

  • UNITEL – UNITEL Committee

    Working group/CommitteeIndustry/UsersIn review

    UNIFE committee of the railway telecommunications industry.

    Mainly publishes: Position papers

UNISIG

OrganisationIndustry/UsersTechnical standardisationIn review

Industry consortium of signalling manufacturers that contributes to the ETCS/ERTMS specifications – relevant for the interface between ETCS and FRMCS.

Mainly publishes: Specification contributions

Official source: ertms.net

EUG – ERTMS Users Group

OrganisationIndustry/UsersRequirementsIn review

Association of infrastructure managers; represents the user perspective in ERTMS specification work and integration.

Mainly publishes: User requirements, Change requests

Official source: ertms.be

TCCA – The Critical Communications Association

OrganisationIndustry/UsersIn review

Industry association for mission-critical communication; promotes interoperability and represents interests. Not an FRMCS regulatory authority.

Mainly publishes: Position papers, Interoperability programmes

Official source: tcca.info

EU-Rail – Europe's Rail Joint Undertaking

Coordination/Validation bodyValidation/DeploymentIn review

European research and innovation programme for rail; coordinates system architecture and deployment, including FRMCS.

Mainly publishes: Programme results, Reports

Official source: rail-research.europa.eu

Sub-bodies

  • System Pillar

    Coordination/Validation bodyValidation/DeploymentTechnical standardisationIn review

    Programme segment for the joint system architecture of the European rail system.

    Mainly publishes: Architecture results

Adjacent railway standardisation

Standardisation bodies with a documented link to railway technology — without responsibility for the FRMCS core specifications.

CENELEC – European Committee for Electrotechnical Standardization

OrganisationTechnical standardisationIn review

European standardization organization for electrical engineering; adjacent railway standardization, no responsibility for the FRMCS core specifications.

Mainly publishes: European standards

Official source: cencenelec.eu

Sub-bodies

  • TC 9X – Technical Committee 9X – Electrical and electronic applications for railways

    Working group/CommitteeTechnical standardisationIn review

    Committee for electrical and electronic railway applications, such as safety standards for railway communication.

    Mainly publishes: European standards

IEC – International Electrotechnical Commission

OrganisationTechnical standardisationIn review

International standardization organization for electrical engineering; adjacent railway standardization.

Mainly publishes: International standards

Official source: iec.ch

Sub-bodies

  • TC 9 – Technical Committee 9 – Electrical equipment and systems for railways

    Working group/CommitteeTechnical standardisationIn review

    International committee for electrical equipment and systems for railways.

    Mainly publishes: International standards

Projects such as MORANE-2 or 5GRail are not permanent bodies and are therefore not listed in this directory. FRMCS Atlas is an independent offering and has no official relationship with the organisations named.