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A few years have passed since the South Western Railway (SWR) announced that it would deploy a new rail-side 5G mast network (here), which aimed to deliver “superfast” onboard WiFi for people travelling on a 70km long stretch of their Main Line into London (between Basingstoke and Earlsfield). But after some delays, the new network is now live.
The original announcement, which involved the roll-out of a “Rail-5G” solution (i.e. special track-side 5G mobile / radio pole masts that are used to supply data capacity for onboard WiFi), envisaged the new network – backed by FirstGroup’s rail division – as being completed during “early 2023“. But clearly it ended up taking a bit longer than that to deliver.
According to the latest update, customers can on that stretch of line can now enjoy “unprecedented internet speeds up to 20 times faster than the current average“, as it becomes the “first train operator in Europe to introduce rail-5G Wi-Fi” (we have seen other train operators using similar solutions before). But that reference to “20 times faster” should perhaps be taken in context of SWR’s previously quite flaky onboard WiFi (speaking from personal experience).
On the other hand, SWR did previously trial the solution on the Isle of Wight, which is said to have been able to “consistently deliver” broadband speeds (throughput) of 1Gbps to a moving train (i.e. shared capacity for commuters and the train operator). The new Rail-5G network is separately described as being a “multi-gigabit internet solution“.
Peter Williams, Customer and Commercial Director for SWR, said:
“We’re thrilled that our customers travelling between Earlsfield and Basingstoke are the first to benefit from this unprecedented superfast Wi-Fi.
Customers can now stream, download files, video call, and much more – without worrying about their connection.
Whether travelling for work or leisure, having access to a strong and reliable internet connection will make their time on board more productive and enjoyable.
We hope this will make travelling by train an even more attractive option, helping to get people out of cars and onto the rail network.”
SWR highlights how polling conducted by Ipsos found that 41% of UK adults would be more likely to consider taking the train over other modes of transport if train companies provided fast, reliable on-board Wi-Fi. The figure is even higher among younger people, rising to 64% of those aged 16-24 and 59% of those aged 25-34.