Telecom Lead Asia: Indian Railways has invested Rs 6.3 crore to offer free Wi-Fi services as a pilot project on Howrah Rajdhani Express.
The minister of Railways Pawan Kumar Bansal, inaugurating the pilot project, said that the launch of internet access in moving train was a technological challenge considering that the train passes through all type of terrain and continuous internet access in all weather is to be provided.
Indian Railways decided for satellite communication link to the train and Wi-Fi connectivity to different coaches.
Presently this facility is being extended free of cost to the travelling passengers. The facility covers all the three rakes of Howrah Rajdhani Express.
The satellite communication link is arranged through satellite hub facility, set up by Indian Railways.
Initially, 4 Mbps download bandwidth and 512 Kbps upload bandwidth is earmarked for internet facility in moving train.
The satellite antenna is placed in one of the two Power Cars of the rake. This is linked through Wi-Fi radios provided outside of each coach. This is further distributed inside the coaches through indoor access point. This will help passengers of the Rajdhani Express train to access internet during their journey.
For accessing the internet facility, the bona-fide passengers will have to access Indian Railway Wi-Fi network.
The passengers will be able to register by providing the PNR and other details like mobile number etc. On validation of the data entered by the passengers, as per extant DOT guidelines, the Login ID and Password will be sent through SMS to the registered mobile number. The Login ID and Password will remain valid for entire journey.
Indian Railways intend to extend this service on other Rajdhani/Shatabdi/Duronto express trains progressively based on customer feedback and acceptance.
