News
U.K. mobile operator to boost on-board WiFi, mobile coverage.
EE announced this week it has won a deal to deploy a trackside mobile network for Chiltern Railway in order to improve on-board connectivity.
The network will remove coverage blackspots – particularly in tunnels – and add extra capacity, making for a better customer experience, be it for accessing the Internet or making calls.
"It was always our vision to deliver truly connected mobility and now, thanks to our partnership with EE, Chiltern will have the fastest and most reliable WiFi in the country," said Thomas Ableman, commercial director of Chiltern Railways, in a statement. "We’ve just made it far easier to do business on the move."
EE is due to complete the deployment in December. Chiltern’s parent company, Arriva, will use the project as a test bed to determine whether it will upgrade trackside networks on its other rail routes.
"This is just the beginning of a new approach to building a mobile network that’s always there for our customers, giving them the connection they need," said EE’s new CEO, Marc Allera.
The U.K. government is also trying to drive improvements in mobile coverage on the railway.
In July 2014, the Department for Transport (DfT) pledged £53 million (€68.34 million) to install new WiFi equipment on trains.
The government says 70% of the train-using public will benefit from the upgrades by 2019.
