Govt approves allotment of 5 MHz spectrum in 700 MHz band to Indian Railways

Representative Image: Vande Bharat Express, India's first semi-high speed train

The Union Cabinet has decided to provide 4G spectrum to the Indian Railways and approved the allotment of 5 MHz in the 700 MHz band to the national transporter, a move that will improve safety and increase the speed of trains.

The spectrum can be deployed only for captive use to offer services such as public safety and security services and not for commercial purposes.

“This is a revolutionary step in modernising the Indian Railways. It will improve safety, increase speed and also help in introducing technologies like anti-collision devices,”  information and broadcasting minister Prakash Javadekar said while addressing the media on the Cabinet’s decisions.

With the 4G spectrum, the Indian Railways can provide LTE (long term evolution)-based Mobile Train Radio Communication on its routes, a project in which it is investing more than Rs 25,000 crore and is scheduled to be completed in the next five years, the government said in a statement today.

Spectrum charges may be levied based on a formula prescribed by the Department of Telecommunications for payment of royalty and licence fee for captive use, as recommended by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India.

In addition, the Indian Railways approved an indigenously developed Train Collision Avoidance System (TCAS), which will help reduce accidents and ensure passenger safety.

“It brings a strategic shift in Railways’ operations and maintenance regime. It will help in improving the safety and increasing the line capacity to accommodate more trains using the existing infrastructure. The modern rail network will result in reduced transportation cost and higher efficiency. Also, it will attract multinational industries to set up manufacturing units to fulfil the ‘Make in India’ mission and generate employment,” the statement said.

The purpose of 4G for the Indian Railways is to provide secure and reliable voice, video and data communication services for operational, safety and security applications. It will be used for modern signalling and train protection systems and ensure seamless communication between loco pilots and guards.

It will also enable Internet of Things-based remote asset monitoring, especially of coaches, wagons and locos, and live video feeds from CCTV cameras in train coaches to ensure efficient, safer and faster operations.