GNER, Icomera announce commercial agreement to deliver real-time wireless internet on trains
Icomera today announces that it has been appointed by GNER to deliver real-time wireless Internet to GNER's fleet of trains, concluding the UK's first successful train-based trial.
The deal gives GNER passengers and employees wireless access to browse the Internet, get travel news and information and check and send email through wireless-enabled laptops and PDAs (Personal Digital Assistant).
The agreement follows 160,000+ miles of customer, technical and commercial viability testing. Passengers have successfully been using GNER Mobile Office service since 1st of December 2003, when the first UK train to offer Wi-Fi ran between London Kings Cross, Yorkshire, the North East of England and Scotland.
According to GNER CEO Christopher Garnett, 'We are very excited about rolling out Icomera’s wireless Internet solution. Not only will it enable our valuable business passengers to be even more productive on-board, but it is sufficiently robust and easy-to-use that we believe it will prove highly attractive to our leisure customers'.
Icomera will supply its 'Wireless Onboard Internet' end-to-end solution initially to the new Mallard trains, then to be expanded across the whole GNER fleet. The solution includes all hardware, software and communication channels using satellite for broadband capacity and multiple mobile links in parallel for reliability.
'We are delighted that GNER has decided to deepen its relationship with Icomera', said Icomera AB CEO Michael Johansson. ‘It is testament to the confidence GNER has in our company, our technology and our proven experience in the wireless Internet train market’.
‘With a commercial agreement already in place in Sweden, and a number of other trials across Europe in the pipeline, this deal consolidates Icomera's leadership in this rapidly expanding market.'
Details of trials of Icomera solutions by other leading European train operators will be announced shortly.
Broadband Wireless MarketAccording to telecoms analysts BWCS, the UK's train Wi-Fi market will be worth around £6m in 2004, with rail passengers projected to spend $420m (£280m) per year on train-based Wi-Fi services by 2008. Within five years 625 million people will be travelling on Wi-Fi enabled trains around the world every year, BWCS forecasts.
(www.icomera.com) (www.gner.co.uk )
The deal gives GNER passengers and employees wireless access to browse the Internet, get travel news and information and check and send email through wireless-enabled laptops and PDAs (Personal Digital Assistant).
The agreement follows 160,000+ miles of customer, technical and commercial viability testing. Passengers have successfully been using GNER Mobile Office service since 1st of December 2003, when the first UK train to offer Wi-Fi ran between London Kings Cross, Yorkshire, the North East of England and Scotland.
According to GNER CEO Christopher Garnett, 'We are very excited about rolling out Icomera’s wireless Internet solution. Not only will it enable our valuable business passengers to be even more productive on-board, but it is sufficiently robust and easy-to-use that we believe it will prove highly attractive to our leisure customers'.
Icomera will supply its 'Wireless Onboard Internet' end-to-end solution initially to the new Mallard trains, then to be expanded across the whole GNER fleet. The solution includes all hardware, software and communication channels using satellite for broadband capacity and multiple mobile links in parallel for reliability.
'We are delighted that GNER has decided to deepen its relationship with Icomera', said Icomera AB CEO Michael Johansson. ‘It is testament to the confidence GNER has in our company, our technology and our proven experience in the wireless Internet train market’.
‘With a commercial agreement already in place in Sweden, and a number of other trials across Europe in the pipeline, this deal consolidates Icomera's leadership in this rapidly expanding market.'
Details of trials of Icomera solutions by other leading European train operators will be announced shortly.
Broadband Wireless MarketAccording to telecoms analysts BWCS, the UK's train Wi-Fi market will be worth around £6m in 2004, with rail passengers projected to spend $420m (£280m) per year on train-based Wi-Fi services by 2008. Within five years 625 million people will be travelling on Wi-Fi enabled trains around the world every year, BWCS forecasts.
(www.icomera.com) (www.gner.co.uk )
posted by Rico Biriah at 3:56 pm
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