Railway Wi-Fi provider chalks up one million users

 

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By Simon Aughton

Posted on 24 Sep 2007 at 14:49

The leading provider of Wi-Fi on trains has notched up its one millionth customer. Sweden's Icomera says that it is now adding 23,000 new users a week for the internet access services it provides in Sweden and the UK.

GNER, which runs the East Coast Mainline, introduced on-train wireless in 2004. Internet access is served by a combination of satellite and 3G technology linked to hotspots in each carriage.

And from December, when GNER's licence passes to National Express, Icomera can expect even more customers. National Express has already signalled its intention to provide free access to all its passengers, not just those in first class.

Frederik Gustafsson, Icomera's CEO, said as well as rising users numbers the company is seeing session times increase. "These numbers speak for themselves in terms of value that rail passengers place on high quality internet services", Gustafsson says. "With more than 130 trains installed in Sweden and the UK, we continue to see a steady increase in the number of users and also the average session time, which tells us that many prefer the comfort of the train and the possibility to stay online for work or recreation, rather than lost time spent in planes and cars."

The company also develops internet-based communications, fleet management and real-time remote monitoring applications for train operators.