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UK Train Company Makes WiFi Free for All
(05 Feb 2019, BWCS Staff)UK government-owned train operator London North Eastern Railway (LNER) has made WiFi available for free on all of its services. Up until now, on-board passenger Internet access has been free only to First Class passengers and those in second who had booked directly through LNER. Anyone else was subject to a £5 per journey charge.
According to LNER, the decision to make WiFi free for all travellers in its 65 trains (495 carriages) was primarily driven by the importance of connectivity amongst the UK population. The service is now available via a quick online sign-in process.
The train operator said it has carried out research in which one-third of passengers surveyed admitted that they “wouldn’t be able to live without WiFi”, while 29% said that free internet access “can influence their travel decisions”. Additionally, around 18% stated they would opt for sitting separately from their family and friends for free internet – always a good excuse. Around one in five (18%) of respondents said they had paid additional money for travel upgrades to receive an uninterrupted connection or considered doing so.
Furthermore, LNER reported, 17% of people surveyed said that they would hang around a train station longer to stay connected, while 11% had, at some point, set up a temporary office at the station to complete their work.
The Intercity East Coast railway franchise has had something of a chequered past. LNER (owned by the Department for Transport) took it over in June of last year. The previous, privately-owned operator, Virgin Trains East Coast, returned the franchise to the government following financial difficulties earlier in 2018. The DfT says it plans to establish a new public-private partnership to take over the franchise in 2020.
Way back in 2004, GNER then in charge, contracted emerging on-train WiFi supplier Icomera to fit out its trains with a mixture of satellite and cellular receivers to provide in-carriage WiFi services for its passengers. Icomera still provides the on-board WiFi for the East Coast trains, although the satellite connections are long gone.
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 (www.Internet4trains.com ), 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 on the 4th and 5th of June.
For more information on the conference please see www.Traincomms2019.com or contact Ross.Parsons@BWCS.com .
The 2019 conference (www.Traincomms2019.com ) is sponsored by Icomera, Nomad Digital, Fluidmesh, RADWIN and BAI Communications.
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