The Korea Rail Network Authority (KRNA) selected Finland’s Nokia to supply the world’s first LTE-R mobile broadband network to support railway operations and employee services.

The network will be deployed on a railway line between Wonju and Gangneung as part of preparations for the Winter Olympics in 2018.

The network will be based on LTE-R, a version of 4G LTE technology that is being developed to meet the “mission-critical service requirements” of railway operators. The network will support both operational and maintenance services on a high-speed commercial railway line operating at speeds of up to 250 km/h.

LTE-R is an evolution of GSM-R (Global System for Mobile Communications – Railway) technology, which is based on earlier mobile standards and has been deployed in around 30 countries globally.

KRNA’s LTE-R network claims to provide secure, reliable, high-speed connectivity between trains, stations and other railway facilities. The network will be designed to interoperate with other LTE networks, supporting public safety and maritime operations as well as legacy VHS and trunked radio system networks. This project is intended to serve as a model for future LTE-R deployments, and help further define LTE-R standardisation efforts.

Nokia will supply base stations along with NetAct, its virtualised network management software for mobile networks.

KRNA is responsible for developing and maintaining the railway infrastructure in South Korea as well as a number of other countries.