News
Government Issues Call for Information as it Mulls Spending £35 Million on Trackside Trials
(17 Aug 2018, BWCS Staff)The UK Government has issued a Call for Information connected to the Trans Pennine Initiative and aimed at improving on-train passenger connectivity. The move follows last year’s announcement by the Chancellor of the Exchequer, in the Autumn budget, that there would be funds provided to build a 5G Trials and Test Bed at the Rail Innovation Development Centre (RIDC) at Melton Mowbray and to conduct a mobile connectivity trial along the Trans Pennine route.
According to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, it intends to use part of the £35 million funding announced for rail passenger connectivity improvements to conduct the TPI, which is a joint effort between the Local Full Fibre Networks and 5G Testbeds and Trials Programmes, with Network Rail as its delivery partner.
The Department’s website says “This Call for Information seeks written responses from parties with an interest in the Trans Pennine Initiative.”
Companies interested in taking part in a new 5G project on the Trans Pennine Railway line between Leeds and Manchester are invited to get in touch with the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport.
The move is a fundamental part of the government’s exploration of what 5G connectivity could bring to the transport sector.
The Trans Pennine Initiative (TPI), part of the government’s Northern Powerhouse plans, aims to test ways of providing high quality passenger connectivity to trains using trackside infrastructure, including addressing issues related to access, processes and costs. In doing so, it will assist in developing the Government’s ambition of main line rail routes having uninterrupted mobile coverage and guaranteed WiFi.
Minister for Digital Margot James said “The importance of fast, reliable and uninterrupted connectivity on our rail network is only going to increase. Projects like the Trans Pennine Initiative will be instrumental in delivering this for passengers and are all part of our commitment to make the UK a world leader in 5G.”
DCMS has today launched a call for information to industry which will provide information necessary to assist in the trial and to identify any constraints and concerns that potential trialists envisage.
The Department said it anticipates that companies selected to take part in the trial will be given the opportunity to:
- Deploy their trial radio equipment on the TPI pilot route without the need to invest in trackside infrastructure
- Benefit from financial support for installation activities on the TPI pilot route
- Demonstrate the viability of their products in a live environment with a wide demographic of passengers, including business commuters, day trippers and long-distance travellers. This will help allowing for testing of capacity, coverage and security.
- Make use of a new 5G facility at Melton Mowbray where technologies can be tested.
The initiative is a joint effort between the Local Full Fibre Networks (LFFN) and 5G Testbeds and Trials (5GTT) Programmes, with Network Rail (NR) as our delivery partner.
Responses to the call for information should be sent to: 5genquiries@culture.gov.uk
The closing date for comments to be submitted is noon 14th September 2018.
There is more information here:
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/trans-pennine-railway-5g-trial
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/trans-pennine-initiative-trial-call-for-information
Responses and questions should be referred to DCMS in the first instance.
As ever, on-board WiFi, trackside networks, the growing market for passenger WiFi services and on-board entertainment will be the main subjects of BWCS’s WiFi on Trains Conference 2019 (www.Traincomms2018.com ). For more information please contact Ross.Parsons@BWCS.com
This year's Train Communications System Conference was sponsored by Icomera, Nomad Digital, Fluidmesh, 21Net, RADWIN and BAI Communications
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