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Swiss Train Operator to Help Passengers Get Free Mobile Data Connections On-Board
(19 Oct 2018, BWCS Staff)It seems that we jumped the gun last week in announcing that Swiss train operator SBB would be offering a trial of new, free, on-board WiFi services. In fact, the story is more complex than that. Due mainly to the excellent 4G coverage along the Swiss rail network – 97% due to rise to 99% in two years and to the number of trains that already have 3G and 4G mobile signal amplifiers fitted, the company has decided not to offer WiFi at all on its domestic routes. Instead passengers will have to rely on their own mobile data connections if they wish to surf the Internet whilst on board.
SBB’s new service, FreeSurf, soon to be available on some of its long-distance routes, will effectively allow passengers to hook up to their mobile operators and use data for free for the duration of their journey. They can access this by downloading an app provided by the train company. Effectively SBB will pay the data charges. Should the technical pilot go well and the solution is accepted by the customer, SBB will introduce SBB FreeSurf on all of its major routes from 2020.
Some of the travelling public using SBB’s InterCity trains running between Lausanne and St. Gallen, Geneva and Zurich, and Bienne and Basel will be able to benefit from the service next year.
According to local press reports, the former national telecom supplier, Swisscom, has not yet signed up to partner SBB. Instead, the other two national mobile operators: Salt and Sunrise are the only two to agree to participate in the trial. The train company would only say that discussions are continuing with Swisscom.
By the end of 2019 Wifi will be available on most of SBB’s international trains. The company argues that on the services that run into France, Germany and Italy mobile coverage (outside Switzerland) is “patchier” and also much more costly for Swiss passengers, so it has relented on its WiFi plans. UK-based supplier Nomad is responsible for the WiFi equipment installed in the Stadler Rail EC250 Giruno trains used on some of the international routes, it also worked with Alstom to install the same kit in the ETR-610 trains supplied to SBB used on other cross-border lines. The existing fleet of ETR-610s were retrofitted with Nomad’s connectivity infrastructure by Alstom at its Savigliano plant in Italy. Nomad supplied its R3500P on-board server offering a passenger portal complete with an infotainment platform and real-time journey and service information.
BWCS is constantly monitoring developments in the WiFi on Trains sector within each national market. For more information about how to access our international database of interviews and market developments, please contact Ross.Parsons@BWCS.com
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. For more information on next year’s conference please contact Ross.Parsons@BWCS.com
The 2018 conference (www.Traincomms2018.com ) was sponsored by Icomera, Nomad Digital, Fluidmesh, 21Net, RADWIN and BAI Communications.
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