Cisco, ScotRail, CGI, Network Rail Telecoms and Wittos have formed collaboration on an Innovate UK and RSSB funded proof of concept to enable super-fast Wi-Fi on trains (Project SWIFT).
The project will see ScotRail trialling the fastest in-train Wi-Fi service in the world, allowing users to experience Internet speeds on the go of up to 300 Mbps, Cisco said.
With the existing in-train mobile service in the UK, 33% of internet requests on trains fail and with 1.4bn journeys a year, resulting in millions of hours of lost productivity every month.
According to a recent report from National Infrastructure Commission, the use of existing 3G/4G networks for train connectivity has been unsuccessful, largely due to number of tunnels, cuttings and regional 3G/4G black-spots in the UK. Project SWIFT provides a viable alternative.
Led by Cisco CREATE, Project SWIFT will highlight how high-speed in-carriage connectivity will improve the experience for passengers and help train operators provide better, more reliable and profitable services.
Project SWIFT has been initially implemented on a full scale train and test track near Stratford-upon-Avon, and will now see a limited duration roll-out on one of the current fleet of ScotRail trains that operate services between Glasgow and Edinburgh.
The proof of concept trial will commence later this year, and run until the end of March 2018.
The project goes beyond providing Internet access to passengers, and investigates what becomes possible when you add data and insight to connections:
Scot Gardner, chief executive, Cisco UK & Ireland, said,”Project SWIFT embodies the art of the possible. If the UK is to truly benefit from what digital technologies have to offer, then connectivity has to be a given — even when travelling at 140mph.”
He added, “If only a fraction of the time that we spend travelling is made more productive, the potential for commuters, the train companies and the UK as a whole is immense.”
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