Cobham Wireless announces next generation on-board repeater to improve on train communications

Chesham, UK – Cobham Wireless, a global leader in the provision of advanced wireless coverage and mobile communication systems, has announced the launch of its idOBR solution; the next generation digital on-board repeater set to revolutionise on-train cellular communications.

The upgrade to Cobham Wireless’ market leading on-board repeater solution offers high-bandwidth in-carriage services for the railway communications market enabling passengers to connect to robust 4G, 3G and 2G services even in the most challenging of environments. The unit is much more compact than current provisioning systems and includes a reduction in size to 2HU, making the unit more versatile than traditional solutions and offering the space savings demanded by the railway industry.

Offering MIMO, multi-technology and multi-band support, the idOBR enables high quality communication across international borders, connecting seamlessly to the Cobham Wireless range of next generation cellular coverage solutions, including its innovative idDAS system and associated railway cellular and public safety products.

The new platform offers advantages for all stakeholders; mobile operators can enjoy an increase in throughput, versatility and customer satisfaction, train operators can reduce the space required for telecoms equipment and for manufacturers installation is simpler and can be cheaper.

“Cobham Wireless is proud to continually push forward railway cellular communication technology,” said Ingo Flömer, director of product management, Cobham Wireless. “The idOBR will deliver high-bandwidth services utilising a fraction of the power and space requirements of traditional on-board systems.

“The extra space offered by the unit’s versatility provides train operators with the opportunity to utilise the space previously reserved for technology for increased passenger capacity or to increase the number of units deployed to further improve capacity availability in carriages.”

Cobham Wireless is a leading supplier for railway cellular communications systems with contracts in place with many of the world’s leading train operators and mobile network providers. It has been pushing forward the development of advanced systems since introducing the world’s first GSM-R coverage product in 1998 to support train communications on intercity lines in Scandinavia.