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FEB 2005
Expanding Wi-Fi leadership position
Free trial for commuters expected from March
8,000 daily commuters will be able to make full use of travel time
London, UK - 15th February, 2005: T-Mobile today announces the world's first genuine broadband Wi-Fi service on trains and will be available to passengers on the London to Brighton rail route expected by early summer.
Passengers on Southern's express rail service between London and Brighton - one of the busiest railway routes for business people travelling to and from London - will be able to send and receive emails or surf the internet securely all while travelling on the train.
The Wi-Fi service for commuters from T-Mobile, called T-Mobile HotSpot, will give passengers the opportunity to enjoy broadband speeds from their Wi-Fi enabled laptops or PDAs for the whole journey between Brighton to London. T-Mobile will be offering passengers a free trial of the service between early March and end of April.
During this trial period the service will initially be available on a limited number of trains on this route. The service is planned for launch by early this summer, once the full roll-out has been implemented.
The service is made possible through a partnership with Southern (who are providing access to the trains and station locations where the service will be offered), Nomad Digital (who provide the technology) and T-Mobile (who offer the Wi-Fi service to customers).
T-Mobile's HotSpot service is made possible by the installation of Wi-Fi access points within the train's carriages, which in turn are connected to a WiMax network running alongside the tracks. These links pass data in both directions at rates of up to 32Mb/s, making this the fastest data link to a train anywhere in the world. Brian McBride, Managing Director, T-Mobile UK commented: "T-Mobile is fully committed to the introduction of Wi-Fi on trains, and is a natural and compelling extension of our Wi-Fi network as well as a complement to our existing GPRS and 3G services. McBride continues: "T-Mobile is continuing to pioneer Wi-Fi with its genuine broadband service on trains, something we believe customers have been crying out for, for some time. We see a growing trend for business users needing to access email securely on the move. Now T-Mobile is able to offer this by maintaining a constant data session for the entire journey, something other solutions just can't offer today."
Vince Lucas, Commercial Director, Southern commented: "Our passengers will have the opportunity to utilise first-class communications on our new lectrostar trains. We are pleased to be working with Nomad and T-Mobile to provide the best possible Internet access for rail passengers. This is another project that will help in our delivery of a modern and reliable train service."
Nigel Wallbridge, Executive Chairman of Nomad Digital, commented: "We have been delighted to work with Southern and T-Mobile on this project. Although the London to Brighton line presents many challenges we have proved that high-speed wireless access to moving trains is possible without building huge towers or other costly infrastructure. Whether the train travels through tunnels, bridges or through high hedgerows, customers should not experience a drop in service."
In addition to today's announcement, T-Mobile HotSpot, which is available in over 700 locations throughout UK is now offering customers an extremely attractive Wi-Fi price plan of £20 per month flat rate* for an all-inclusive package. This gives customers control of their Wi-Fi spend. The new price plan is currently only available through the company's business sales channel. Customers should call 0800 956 5001.
The Wi-Fi service will also be available from March at 16 stations along the London to Brighton line, allowing travellers to surf the internet on broadband while waiting for their trains.
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