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Myanmar Railways to Offer Free WiFi On-Board
(19 Oct 2017, BWCS Staff)MySQUAR Limited, the Myanmar-language social media, entertainment and payment platform says it has signed a deal to provide WiFi and digital content services to passengers on trains operated by Myanmar Railways.
The content company, which is quoted on the Alternative Investment Market exchange in London, saw its share price jump 11% on the news that it will form a partnership with other service providers to roll-out and finance the services. According to press reports, the WiFi service will be made available both on trains and stations on the popular Yangon Circular Rail Service as well as other trains operated by the state-owned Myanmar Railways.
MySQUAR says it will generate revenues solely through advertising and that WiFi connections will be offered for free to travellers. However, the train operator will also take a cut off the profits.
Eric Schaer, the CEO of MySQUAR, commented “We anticipate this partnership could have vast long-term potential as the railways are improved and railway use is projected to multiply over the coming years as roads become more congested.”
The Yangon Circular train is a local commuter rail network with 46km of track that runs in a loop connecting rural neighbourhoods with the centre of the capital and carries around 100,000-150,000 passengers daily.
Myanmar's national rail network has over 5,400km of track running north to south with branches to east and west. The rail system has been steadily increased over the last three decades and MR plans to extend it further in the coming years. The operator is in the midst of an ambitious project to add a further 3,645km of track to the national network – it is not clear if all of this will be covered by WiFi services.
On-board WiFi, trackside networks, the growing market for passenger WiFi services and on-board entertainment formed the main subjects of the recent WiFi on Trains Conference hosted by BWCS (www.Traincomms2017.com ). For more information on 2018’s event please contact Ross.Parsons@BWCS.com
This year's Train Communications System Conference was sponsored by Icomera (Gold), Nomad Digital (Silver), Fluidmesh (Bronze), 21Net (Cocktails), LetsJoin (Lunch Day 1) and RADWIN (Lunch Day 2).
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