Railways Gets 5 MHz Spectrum:
The Union Cabinet approved the allotment of a 5 MHz spectrum in the 700 MHz frequency band to the Indian Railways for improving its communication and signaling systems.
- Railways have also approved an indigenously developed Train Collision Avoidance System (TCAS).
- The project, targeted to be completed in five years, is estimated to cost over Rs. 25,000 crore.
- The spectrum charges will be levied based on a formula as prescribed by the Department of Telecommunications for Royalty Charges and License Fee for captive use as recommended by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI).
- With this spectrum, the railways will introduce Long-Term Evolution (LTE)-based Mobile Train Radio Communication (MTRC) on its routes.
- The Railways currently relies on optical fibre for its communication network but with the allocation of fresh spectrum, it will be able to use high-speed radio on a real-time basis.
- LTE is a fourth-generation (4G) wireless standard that provides increased network capacity and speed for cellphones and other cellular devices compared with third-generation (3G) technology.
