The UK’s Department of Transport is considering removing free Wi-Fi services on trains as it can’t see the business case…
The launch of Wi-Fi on the UK’s railways was hailed as a potential jump in productivity for the economy. The country’s many commuters could work on the go, and those travelling for leisure could connect with friends or check live journey information – important when services are disrupted. The government was committed to this plan and pledged that mainline railway routes across the UK would have “uninterrupted” Wi-Fi and 5G mobile signal by 2025.
This isn’t panning out. Last month the UK’s Department of Transport announced it is looking to remove the free service unless train operators could demonstrate a business case. It cited a general financial malaise across the UK’s railways and consumers seeing Wi-Fi as a low priority.
It should be noted that this is based on a survey in which other priorities customers were asked about were safe stations, trains being on time and clean toilets, among other basic things that British railways often do not provide. Something of a case of comparing apples and oranges, rather than proof the Wi-Fi service is no longer justifiable.
This approach underestimates the value consumers place on reliable uninterrupted internet access. It also fails to factor in how meeting technological challenges opens new opportunities for consumers. Reliable internet connection and a reliable, affordable train service do not have to be viewed as entirely separate issues.
Meeting the challenge
The challenges of implementing reliable Wi-Fi on trains are considerable. They are fast-moving, often densely populated metal boxes. Connectivity on the go needs seamless handover between cell towers and strategically placed access points within the train itself. Network capacity planning is essential to handle the load efficiently and provide satisfactory service to all passengers.
There are also the usual concerns that can hinder implementation of public networks such as security which requires encryption and authentication to protect passengers’ sensitive information. It also requires negotiation with many parties, from Network Rail to all the private companies that manage the trains and stations.
Consequently, it’s hard to get Wi-Fi on trains right, which is well known and understood by consumers, but it is far from impossible. Further, when we compare Wi-Fi to the alternative, a mobile phone signal, there is no competition.
Wi-Fi networks on trains are designed to provide the optimum service to passengers. They factor in capacity, positioning of routers and the location of antennas on the outside of trains to establish connectivity with the mobile network that has the strongest signal.
No single party
When passengers are not using Wi-Fi, their phones’ internal antenna connect to the mobile network they subscribe to and any single network is unlikely to provide full coverage and reliable site-to-phone transmission over the entire railway line.
The technological challenges of providing Wi-Fi on trains can be overcome, but there is an often-underestimated, overlooked aspect that would greatly improve it – network infrastructure. We need to ensure that the country has robust and scalable infrastructure designed for trains if we want to take full advantage of what technology has to offer.
This includes, for example, deploying a combination of wired and wireless connectivity: using technologies like 5G, trackside small cells with fibre-connected access points, and satellite connections.
These are not experimental technologies and approaches – specialist companies like Icomera have been building these types of on-train connectivity networks for some time.
If anything, connectivity on trains exposes parts of the network that may lack the necessary infrastructure to support this kind of service, which presents an opportunity to move forward. The future is about developing cooperative solutions among the parties involved. It’s about investment and improvement, not abandoning in-train connectivity.
That is to lose competitive advantage compared with other countries. For example, in Germany the national government is collaborating on a project with Deutsche Bahn, Ericsson, Vantage and O2 Telefónica to bring 5G connectivity to the railways. The Gigabit Innovation Track (GINT) project is looking at technical and financial solutions.
Empowering consumers
The financial angle cannot be ignored. Free in-train Wi-Fi isn’t ever free – someone always foots the bill. Of course, consumers choose personal safety over connectivity but that doesn’t mean connectivity isn’t important;, it’s part of the fabric of their daily lives. Our studies show that on average consumers spend more than 25% of their waking day online and performing data tasks via their phones.
When we survey consumers’ attitude towards mobile connectivity, we consistently see that network reliability is what matters. Nearly two thirds of Brits (64%) note that not having reliable internet access is the cause of significant stress when they are out and about.
We should accept that consumers’ attitudes change, depending on what is available. The notion that trains could come with a genuinely fast and reliable internet connection is not on most people’s radar. If the service was good enough to be relied on for work and leisure, consumers would see the value – which is where the business case emerges.
The first step is ensuring the technology always works. Only then will workers in our increasingly flexible and remote-working economy feel empowered to use the trains as a place of work. Only then will consumers start to think of trains as a place where they can stay connected with friends, family or the internet on the whole. This is how we unlock the promised economic and productivity benefits that the UK so desperately needs.