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Railroads Rely on Private Wireless Networks to Meet Operational and Safety Goals

Legacy networks lack the data capacity, bandwidth and flexibility required to support the adoption of new operating and safety technologies 


New investment required to deploy additional advanced applications supporting efficient and safe train operations 


The IEEE 802.16t (dot16) wireless standard is a wireless network upgrade path available to the railroad ecosystem 


Private wireless networks operated by North American railroads are a critical component of railroad operations, connecting wayside, and on-locomotive technologies with command-and-control systems in the network operations centers. For critical train operations, these networks offer availability and quality of service that is unavailable with other wireless technologies including public LTE systems and unlicensed wireless networks. Nonetheless, the legacy private networks have become increasingly stressed by the growing demands for increased data capacity and flexibility to accommodate more applications on the same spectrum. Even the industry’s newest wireless network, the 220 MHz system created to support Positive Train Control (PTC) applications, is based on proprietary technology that was developed in the early 2010s. Given the ever-growing demand for bandwidth in the coming decade to support the expected growth in increasingly intelligent and data-intensive railroad operating systems, including the need for live data feeds from safety-critical systems, upgrades of legacy private wireless networks are surely on the industry roadmap. 


Railroad Crossing

Fortunately, wireless innovation is coming to the railroad sector with the new IEEE 802.16t (“dot16”) standard that has been architected with significant industry participation to meet the unique needs of railroads which operate these legacy narrowband networks. The dot16 wireless technology provides an upgrade path for legacy private industrial networks and enables a move towards more resilient, efficient, and secure communication infrastructures. Modernizing the private wireless networks not only enhances current operations but also “future proofs” these networks against emerging technological demands, making it a powerful choice for railroad operators managing increasingly complex operations and integrated technologies across extremely large field areas. 


Legacy, Single Purpose Wireless Networks Limit Adoption of New Technologies 

Primary Railroad Frequencies

Railroad operators face significant challenges due to the limitations of purpose-built networks operating on legacy narrowband channels. Narrowband channels are thin slices of radio spectrum that, due to physics, have limited data capacity. Further, these legacy networks were only designed for a single purpose such as the core signaling application Centralized Train Control (CTC) currently carried by the railroads 900 MHz private wireless network. They lack the bandwidth and reliability needed to support modern, data-intensive applications that will be needed over the next 5 to 20 years. As a result, they are unable to be utilized to handle the increasingly high volume of data generated by advanced edge computing and sensor networks. This limitation hinders real-time data processing and decision-making, which are crucial for optimizing train operations and ensuring safety. Additionally, legacy narrowband networks often suffer from latency issues, further complicating the integration of new technologies that require consistent and high-speed connectivity. 


The limitations of legacy networks prevent railroads from fully realizing the benefits of intelligent field-area operating systems. For instance, the inability to support high-bandwidth applications means that critical data from sensors and edge devices cannot be transmitted and analyzed in real-time. This gap limits the effectiveness of predictive maintenance, remote monitoring, and automated control systems, which rely on timely and accurate data to function optimally. Moreover, the lack of robust security features in these outdated networks poses a risk to the integrity and safety of the entire rail system, making it vulnerable to interference and unauthorized use. Upgrading to modern wireless networks with increased data capacity, flexibility and up-to-date security protocols is essential for railroads to overcome these challenges and leverage the full potential of advanced technologies. 


Modern, IP-based Upgrade Path Available with Standards-Based dot16  

The dot16 standard offers a transformative upgrade for private legacy narrowband industrial wireless networks, featuring numerous enhancements designed for high-demand industrial applications. Notably, it enhances reliability and security by integrating advanced security protocols and reliability features, making mission-critical communications secure and reliable for sectors like utilities, transportation, and security. Moreover, dot16 is designed with software capabilities to create significant increases in data capacity – between 50 and 80-times current capacity, depending on the frequency band. Dot16 also offers the flexibility to transition single purpose legacy networks into IP-based wireless platforms hosting an expanding set of applications and use cases, future-proofed with a customizable quality of service (QoS).  


Key features and benefits of dot16 include: 

Enhanced Reliability and Security: With industrial environments requiring networks that minimize downtime and prevent unauthorized access, 802.16t builds on current standards by integrating advanced security protocols and reliability features. This makes mission-critical communications secure and reliable - vital for sectors like utilities, transportation, and security. Furthermore, the dot16 technology allows for security enhancements as encryption and other cybersecurity tools evolves. 


Support for Narrowband Channels: The standard allows for operation in licensed spectrum with channel bandwidths from 5 kHz up to100 kHz. This narrowband functionality promotes efficient use of spectrum, essential in environments where spectrum is costly or limited. It enables industrial networks to operate over long distances with reduced power consumption, which is ideal for remote monitoring and control. 


Non-Contiguous Channel Aggregation: Legacy narrowband networks are often sliced into channels that are sometimes “non-contiguous”, which is done to reduce interference for low data applications such as voice in Land Mobile Radio (LMR) networks. IEEE 802.16t supports the aggregation of non-adjacent frequency channels, allowing systems to utilize separate frequency bands to increase overall data transmission bandwidth. This flexibility is key in environments with limited continuous spectrum availability which is often the case with legacy private networks operated by critical industrial companies in support technology systems across wide field area operations. With channel aggregation, dot16 technology offers up to 80x more data capacity increases vis-à-vis existing legacy wireless technology. 


User-defined prioritization of data traffic - Customizable Quality of Service (QoS): The standard enables network administrators to create varied QoS levels, prioritizing different types of data traffic and tailoring uplink / downlink (UL/DL) ratios to specific use cases. The UL/DL flexibility allows even more efficient spectrum utilization if a certain application has a heavy data throughput direction coming from the network edge versus the network operations center. This configurability ensures that real-time mission-critical data, such as control signals, take precedence over less urgent data which optimizes the use of the network and prevents congestion that may compromise critical operations. 


Interoperability and Scalability: Compliance with IEEE standards ensures that devices from various manufacturers can interoperate, reducing vendor dependency and enabling scalable network architectures. Interoperability, along with backwards compatibility and seamless network migration paths, is particularly beneficial for extensive industrial deployments with diverse equipment. All of which serves to drive innovation across the wireless ecosystem.


Support for Mission-Critical Applications: Designed for mission-critical networks, 802.16t meets the needs of sectors like electric utilities, oil and gas, and transportation by providing independent operation from public networks, ensuring availability during emergencies or natural disasters. 


Future-Proofing: The software-based standard's evolution, which includes support for all sub-1 GHz frequency bands frequencies and channel aggregations, ensures that industrial networks can upgrade as technology evolves without requiring a complete overhaul. This ensures continued technological relevance and investment protection as software-defined networks are designed to do. 


dot16 Network Upgrades Unleash Technology Provider Ecosystem 

Upgrading legacy wireless networks to modern, IP-based systems utilizing standards-based dot16 wireless technology significantly enhances data capacity and network performance. This upgrade enables the creation of a robust, high-bandwidth network capable of supporting existing legacy systems and the large amounts of data generated by emerging advanced edge computing and IoT devices. The increased data capacity allows for real-time data transmission and analysis, which can unleash significant improvements in train operations and safety. By providing reliable and high-speed connectivity, the new network infrastructure supports the seamless integration of intelligent systems, such as predictive maintenance and automated control systems, which rely on timely and accurate data to function effectively. 


The adoption of IEEE 802.16t technology fosters a thriving ecosystem of Rail, Enterprise IT, and IoT providers, driving innovation and collaboration utilizing modern, standardized IP-based network protocols. This ecosystem enables the development and deployment of more intelligent train operating systems, resulting in more efficient and safer train operations. Employees benefit from improved working conditions and safety protocols, while customers experience enhanced service reliability and punctuality. Shareholders also gain from increased operational efficiency and reduced costs, leading to higher profitability and long-term sustainability. Overall, the transition to modern wireless networks is a strategic investment that delivers substantial benefits across the entire railroad industry. 


Conclusion 

In conclusion, the adoption of IEEE 802.16t represents a strategic and forward-thinking investment for the railroad industry. By transitioning from legacy narrowband networks to this modern, standards-based wireless technology, railroads can achieve significant enhancements in data capacity, network performance, and security. This upgrade not only facilitates the real-time transmission and analysis of critical data but also supports the integration of advanced technologies such as edge computing, IoT devices, predictive maintenance, and automated control systems. The benefits extend across the ecosystem, improving safety protocols and working conditions for employees, delivering more reliable and punctual services for customers, and driving operational efficiency and cost reduction for shareholders. By fostering innovation and collaboration throughout the railroad ecosystem, the industry can develop more intelligent and efficient train operating systems. Ultimately, the transition to 802.16t not only enhances current operations but also ensures that railroads are well-prepared to meet future technological demands, securing long-term sustainability and profitability. 

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Eric Brock is Chairman and CEO of @OndasHoldings (Nasdaq: ONDS) and Ondas Networks. Ondas Networks is a developer of software-based wireless technology for large established and emerging commercial and government markets. Ondas Networks' standards-based (802.16s), multi-patented, software-defined radio FullMAX platform enables Mission-Critical IoT (MC-IoT) applications by overcoming the bandwidth limitations of today's legacy private licensed wireless networks.

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