Wireless Broadband Internet Service For Railways / Trains

A key competitive advantage

Internet on Board has become the new standard of comfort. For passengers, a Broadband Internet connection allows a productive use of their journey time. For train operators, this competitive advantage is a compelling proposition to attract new passengers by upgrading their level of onboard services.

Internet access isn't just for Business travelers.

Wi-Fi phones and hand-held Internet devices are becoming the new standard mobile device for everyone: for business travelers but also students and leisure passengers.

The Wifi4india Net Broadband to Trains solution allows passengers to:

• Send & receive emails with attachments
• Use VoIP services such as Skype
• Browse the web and chat on-line
• Access corporate intranet via VPN

The Wifi4india Net system combines satellite, GPRS, and UMTS with Wi-Fi technologies to provide a continuous Internet connectivity to trains based on the following architecture:

Satellite and Terrestrial

• When running in open space, the Broadband to Trains system connects to the internet via a satellite antenna mounted on the train roof. A primary bandwidth carrier to the train uses a bi-directional Ku-band satellite to send and receive high data rates – up to 50 Mbps on the downlink and 25 Mbps on the uplink. The satellite communications via the ground station to the Internet.
• Onboard, the Broadband to Trains system communicates with a central server that controls the system, hosts the portal and local content, and distributes the Internet over the in-train Wi-Fi wireless network. Users access the wireless Internet service using their Wi-Fi enabled lap-top, PDA or Smartphone.
• A Mobile Access Router automatically switches over to a UMTS or a terrestrial Wi-Fi link when the satellite becomes unavailable. Even when switching between satellite and UMTS or Wi-Fi, the user’s internet session is not interrupted.

Terrestrial Only

If the specific topology of a train route does not require a satellite based solution, Wifi4india Net can provide robust Internet access based on any available terrestrial backhaul (GSM, UMTS, Edge, Wi-Fi, Wimax, etc)

Multimedia on Board: A complete solution for Business & Leisure requirements

• The Multimedia portal developed by Wifi4inda Net not only includes Internet Access, but also entertainment functionalities
• While business passengers might make a productive use of Internet Access to send and receive emails, leisure passengers can make use of the Multimedia Portal to watch a movie, get breaking news, or listen to music.
• The entertainment functionalities provided by the Wifi4india Net portal offer a great alternative and complement to passengers demand for Internet usage, by locally hosting multimedia content on dedicated content servers installed on board trains.
• The update of the multimedia content can be activated at night in order to optimize the Internet bandwidth usage, but also to minimize the impact on the customer Internet experience.

A flexible solution

• The Wifi4india Net Multimedia Portal can be designed according to the brand and image of the train operator, providing a highly visible platform of communication towards their passengers.
• Depending on the train configuration between different travel classes – Premium/Business/Economy or 1st/2nd Class – the design and content of the Multimedia portal can be differentiated and adapted to different requirements.