News

Swedish Trains to Join LEO Link-Ups

(30 Sep 2026, BWCS Staff)
Swedish train operator SJ has selected Icomera to deliver a fleet-wide rollout of satellite connectivity across its SJ 3000 fleet. The move follows a series of successful trials last year. According to Icomera, the tests demonstrated the ability of hybrid satellite and cellular connectivity to improve performance as the trains entered traditional coverage black spots. The investment marks the next phase of SJ’s programme to deliver a faster and more reliable on-board connectivity experience for passengers in Sweden and those on cross-border services. The SJ 3000 fleet currently......

More Trains to Test Satellite-Delivered On-Board WiFi

(29 Sep 2026, BWCS Staff)
Another train operator is about to launch another trial of Low Earth Orbit satellite-delivered passenger WiFi. This time, the company in question is the government owned Transport for New South Wales, who plan to run a new free WiFi system on trains running between Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane as well as on the Sydney, Canberra, Broken Hill route.     The three-month trial is being delivered by UK-based Motion Applied, via its Australian subsidiary MA Connected Intelligence. The system will use satellite technology combined with 4G and 5G cellular communications and is set......

Nomad Digital Signed to Provide On-Board WiFi for Italo NTV in New Fight for German Passengers

(22 Sep 2026, BWCS Staff)
UK-based on-board systems supplier Nomad Digital has announced that is has won the contract to deliver high-performance 5G Internet on Board to NTV Italo’s new fleet of trains set to access the German rail market. The yet-to be supplied 26 Siemens Valero high-speed trains will begin operations on various long-distance routes in Germany in 2028. Under the terms of the deal, Nomad Digital will also provide ongoing Operations and Maintenance services. The new contract follows Nomad’s successful 2024 agreement to upgrade Italo's existing Italian fleet with Internet in Board. The......

Sky’s the Limit for Some Scottish Passengers

(11 Sep 2026, BWCS Staff)
As satellite-delivered broadband to trains continues to spread across the globe, Scotland, one of the first countries to test the system, has received another boost. Passengers on some services trundling up and down the West Highland Line will soon benefit from reliable broadband connectivity thanks to a new satellite communications trial backed by the UK Government. Global IT giant CGI, is fitting out a ScotRail train with advanced satellite communications equipment. The move is set to bring reliable passenger WiFi services to one of the most remote and inaccessible lines in the UK. The......

West Coast Train Operator Issues Major RFI – (Link Here)

(10 Jul 2026, BWCS Staff)
The Capitol Corridor Joint Powers Authority (CCJPA) which operates trains up and down the northern cities of California, has asked BWCS to make everyone aware of a major new RFI, which it has just issued. The Request for Information (RFI) is seeking details on solutions that could be used in a next-generation Digital Train Communications and Operations (DTCO) system to succeed the operator’s current on-board WiFi and connectivity services. Through this RFI, CCJPA seeks to understand the vendor marketplace’s approaches, capabilities, and strategic direction, ahead of a planned......

New Satellite Services Set to Improve Train Connectivity and Reduce Not-Spots

(18 Jun 2026, BWCS Staff)
There is no doubt that the world of WiFi on trains has been transformed recently. The arrival of LEO Satellite connectivity looks set to boost coverage and help remove not-spots along rail routes. To date, most of the trials and new satellite services have involved SpaceX’s extensive Starlink fleet. However, that is soon to change as new players enter the market. First amongst the newcomers is set to be Hughes, which announced its “LEO for Rail” solution in March of this year and which will start active testing on trains in the coming months. The Hughes system is......

All Change for the Brighton Line … as O2 Joins Cellnex Train Connectivity Project

(16 Jun 2026, BWCS Staff)
Telecoms infrastructure giant Cellnex has today signed O2 to the Brighton Main Line (BML) connectivity project. The collaboration will see the mobile operator access Cellnex UK’s neutral host infrastructure along the route. The BML Project is enabling the phased rollout of high-speed mobile connectivity, including 5G, to customers across the train line over the coming months. Cellnex and O2 were keen to point out that the agreement also covers major train commuter hubs en route, including London Victoria, London Bridge, and Clapham Junction. Three years ago, Cellnex signed a similar......

Ofcom Jumps On Board the Train Connectivity Debate

(04 Jun 2026, BWCS Staff)
UK communications watchdog, Ofcom, has released some damming data on train connectivity. In a report published yesterday, the regulator claims that mobile performance was “poor” on between 58% and 83% of tests carried out on trains, depending on which network was being scrutinised. In what it says is the most comprehensive such study to date, Ofcom measured mobile performance on 24 segments of key railway lines across mainland Britain. The results were that EE’s signal could be classed as good on 42% of the sections of lines that were measured, Three on 21%, O2 on 20%......

British Government Backs On-Board Connectivity Following Major Trials

(27 May 2026, BWCS Staff)
Train WiFi in the UK is set to receive a major boost following soon to be announced government plans. Over 1,400 trains across the country will be provided with faster and more reliable connectivity. Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander is expected to reveal the details later this summer. New technology will be introduced on most main line services. This follows pilot schemes using LEO satellite connectivity involving LNER, South Western Railway and Great Western Railway companies. It will now be rolled out across the board with the state investing £57 million. According to a......

More WiFi from the Sky North of the Border

(13 May 2026, BWCS Staff)
ScotRail is to expand satellite-delivered WiFi connectivity to its fleet of Class 222 trains. According to a report in the online Global Railway Review, Nomad Digital will add the system as part of a wider refurbishment and long-term support programme for the Scottish trains led by Alstom in partnership with Beacon Rail. The wider introduction of LEO Satellite services is aimed at improving on-board WiFi connectivity for passengers. ScotRail will introduce 22 refurbished Class 222 Meridians from early 2027, on routes between Edinburgh, Glasgow, Aberdeen, Perth, Dundee and Inverness. Last......

A Peek Into the Future - Bullet Trains Get 5G Window Upgrade

(20 Apr 2026, BWCS Staff)
A handful of Japanese Shinkansen bullet trains are to be fitted out with new 5G-enabled windows. The glass, with in-built antennas, will be installed in some carriages as part of a series of private suites. The new areas will also have special NTT-developed noise-cancelling technology. Rail operator JR Central said it plans to install two such suites on each of six trains initially, with further roll out expected later. The 5G-friendly windows have been developed by AGC and have microscopic wires woven into the glass, these are then connected to an on-board WiFi router. AGC says rival......

Peninsula Trial Underlines Case for Improved Train Connectivity

(27 Mar 2026, BWCS Staff)
The successful conclusion of a 60-day trial of new WiFi connectivity on a GWR Intercity Express train in the UK has led to calls to roll out the system across the train operator’s network. The technology used in the trial was first developed to improve radio comms with Formula One cars by Motion Applied (formerly McLaren Applied). It used mobile phone signals backed by LEO Satellite delivery to create stronger and faster connections. Peninsula Transport, the transport body for Cornwall, Devon, Plymouth, Somerset and Torbay helped organise the trial in conjunction with Motion Applied,......

Bangladesh Trains Trial WiFi On Board Service

(17 Mar 2026, BWCS Staff)
Bangladesh Railways has launched a pilot project to provide free WiFi on board some of its intercity trains. The state-owned operator says the trial is part of a national initiative aimed at expanding public access to the Internet across the country’s transport network. The move comes a mere ten years after WiFi was introduced at some main stations and talked about for trains.   According to reports in the local press, a pilot project has been launched on the Dhaka–Chattogram–Cox’s Bazar train route and is employing Starlink satellite internet service and......

Two More Train Operators Look to the Skies for WiFi Salvation

(17 Feb 2026, BWCS Staff)
South Western Railway in the UK and privately-owned NTV Italo in Italy are the latest companies to sign up with SpaceX’s Starlink satellite service in a bid to bridge coverage gaps along their train routes. However, whilst the UK operator has begun a trial of the service on one train, NTV Italo is planning a full fleet-wide launch in May of this year. Meanwhile, not to be outdone, rival LEO satellite operators Hughes, Eutelsat and Amazon are about to launch new service offerings into this space. British train company SWR says it is currently trialling the Starlink satellite service......

Long-Awaited Satellite to Train WiFi Service to Debut in Kazakhstan

(07 Jan 2026, BWCS Staff)
Kazakhstan is set to become the latest country to introduce a satellite-delivered WiFi on trains service. The country was once home to a trial of satellite-delivered connectivity to trains way back in 2006, but the system was moth-balled following a lengthy trial. Now, the state-owned rail operator will follow in the footsteps of Brightline in the USA, ScotRail in the UK and Lithuanian Railways in adopting satellite as a way of keeping trains connected to the Internet. Other train companies, including SNCF and Deutsche Bahn are known to be mulling a trial of similar services. The......

Two New WiFi on Trains Services Set to Hit the Tracks

(05 Jan 2026, BWCS Staff)
Gabon is set to become the latest nation to launch WiFi services on its trains. Perched on the Atlantic coast, the small African country boasts one of the highest GDP-per-capita figures on the continent and is home to the 420-mile Trans-Gabon line. This week the country’s Ministry of Digital Economy, Digitalization, and Innovation said that the official launch of WiFi services on passenger trains took place on December 23rd, 2025. Throughout the early part of the project, passengers will only be able to access their WhatsApp applications. However, the range of services will be......

GWR Set to Trial F1 Tech for Train WiFi

(17 Nov 2025, BWCS Staff)
UK train operator GWR is to test a new system of delivering faster and more reliable WiFi to its trains. The technology, which was first developed to improve radio comms with Formula One cars by Motion Applied, uses mobile phone signals backed by LEO Satellite delivery to create stronger connections. The 60-day trial, which is now underway, has been organised in partnership with the transport body for Cornwall, Devon, Plymouth, Somerset and Torbay, Peninsula Transport. It is understood the train will run across different lines on the GWR network. The UK certainly appears to have some......

Saudi Railway Company Signs 5G Trackside Deal

(28 Oct 2025, BWCS Staff)
Swedish mobile equipment supplier Ericsson is to team up with the Saudi Railway Company to deploy 5G tech across the Saudi rail network. In a statement both companies said they aim to “modernise operations, enhance reliability, and strengthen connectivity.” The initiative forms part of the Transport section of the much-heralded Saudi Vision 2030 project. The aim of the huge investments currently underway is to advance national infrastructure and position the Kingdom as a global innovation and logistics hub.   Under the terms of a joint Memorandum of Understanding,......

National Train Operator Sees WiFi Window of Opportunity

(20 Oct 2025, BWCS Staff)
Finnish state-owned train company, VR, is making a renewed effort to improve its on-board WiFi service. This year, the company says it will alter all windows in a transparent bid to help boost reception from cell-towers inside the carriages. The move follows the 5 million euros VR spent on train WiFi last year. However, according to Finnish broadcaster, YLE, this investment had little impact on passenger WiFi connections   VR’s latest plan is to laser-engrave windows as a means of improving access to mobile base stations as trains roll past them. The company argues that......

WiFi Provided by UK Train Companies Ranked by Passengers

(16 Oct 2025, BWCS Staff)
Reports comparing on-train WiFi services are like buses, it appears, you wait ages for one and then two come along at once. The latest data-set to emerge, this week, comes from Uswitch broadband and is restricted to how travellers feel about the WiFi offered by the numerous train companies operating in the UK. The survey kicks off with the less than surprising assertion that 86% of British commuters spend at least some of their train-time working (or pretending to work). However, only a third admit to doing so “very regularly”. The good news, for some, is that Uswitch......