Kenya endorses next-generation rail communication system

by MARIA MACHARIA

NAIROBI – KENYA has endorsed the Future Railway Mobile Communication System (FRMCS), with the belief adopting it would strengthen the safety, reliability and efficiency of rail transport in the country.

A senior cabinet official, speaking at the World Mobile Congress (MWC) in Barcelona, said such a system would support the development of an integrated digital logistics corridor aligned with Kenya’s modernisation agenda.

Steve Isaboke, Principal Secretary State Department for Broadcasting and Telecommunications, on Wednesday participated in high-level engagements at the congress held in the Spanish city, where discussions centred on the evolution of digital ecosystems.

These include Agentic AI and 6G-ready infrastructure.

Isaboke reviewed the FRMCS, a next-generation global industry standard developed by the International Union of Railways (UIC) to replace the aging Global System for Mobile Communications -Railway (GSM-R) system railway communications platform.

The exhibition of FRMCS was among the highlights at the sidelines of the MWC.

Isaboke said as Kenya continued to modernise its national infrastructure and transitioning to 5G-enabled railway, communication was critical.

“These systems will not only enhance the safety and efficiency of our rail networks but also provide the high-speed backbone required for a truly integrated digital logistics corridor,” he added.

Officials from the Communications Authority of Kenya and Huawei representatives in the East African country were at the exhibition alongside with Isaboke.

Huawei is an FRMCS provider.

In 2021, in what is hailed as a first for the continent, Huawei and Mozambique Ports and Railways (Portos e Caminhos de Ferro de Moçambique – CFM) began deployment of FRMCS.

Huawei anticipates completing the deployment across the whole CFM network by 2026.

Kenya Railways is also undergoing a changeover from an outdated, colonial-era narrow-gauge system to modern ones.

– CAJ News