Internet at 320 Km/h!

It’s official, it has been announced! The French High-Speed Train TGV will enter the modern Tech ages this year (2008), by starting to introduce Wi-fi hotspots for each route travelling within the 52 tracks in Eastern France (nothing has been mentionned yet for the rest of France or even for the Eurostar lines – hopefully it will be included in the plan). You might think – why hasn’t this been done before? Wifi hot spots already exist in many public places – airports, railways stations, libraries, etc. Problem is, the vibrations of the train, especially as it reaches its top speed of 320 Km/h, made it impossible to receive or broadcast a stable continuous signal like the one required for the internet.

The new technology allows for a satellite signal to be transmitted safely to the train, even at the highest speeds. This solution is the product of some of the biggest mobile companies out there : Orange Business Service and Capgemini. The antenna used is able to adapt to the train’s specs as well as outside conditions (rain, wind, snow, temperatures…). It ensures the link with the Atlantic Bird 2 satellite, which provides the internet connection. The signal is then relayed to individual routers which are fitted to the ceilings of each carriage.

This project, as you can imagine, has a cost : 19 million Euros! The most costly project for the French Railway Company (SNCF) so far in terms of R&D. This cost has a consequence : the service won’t be free! The 2Mbits/s connection will be available according to different service plans: hourly rate, trip rate, prepaid cards, etc. It has been announced that the hourly rate could work on a 3 Euros/hour basis, which isn’t bad really, especially since the service will include downloadable films and series, as well as real-time updates on the TGV service.The project is currently being tested on the Thalys line between Brussels and Paris and should be widespread to an additional 52 lines across France for 2010. The SNCF will then have to see if the service is profitable until they expand it to all other lines.

If they get it right (good connections, reliable service and efficient support) then this would be a breakthrough in terms of mobile Internet. The technology would most likely open the door to similar services on national rail service in France and abroad, and perhaps on other modes of transport such as commercial flights, buses, undergrounds, etc. This already exists on certain National Rail services in the UK, but let’s face it, the prices are high and the service isn’t the best. I guess we’ll just have to wait and see how this new service does and how competitive it is. After all, there are already Mobile Broadband dongles available from most Mobile companies which provide Internet on-the-go, as well as an increasing number of free WiFi spots that can be used with any WiFi enabled devices.