FAQS
The customer connects to the on-train Wi-Fi that has been powered by rail-5G that offers an average internet access throughput of >1Gb/s to share across all passengers. With 50% customers using the train, Wi-Fi on a busy service of 1,000 passengers, each will enjoy 2Mb/s that can burst up to 10Mb/s.
Fundamentally mobile was designed for individual customers where they would share the available bandwidth with no certainty over the level of coverage or throughput. Rail-5G was designed for trains and to give that certainty of 100% coverage and an average of 1Gb/s in order that the customer could enjoy levels of internet accessibility that they have come to expect at home or work. As such, there is no data fee, so the price is fixed so customers need not be restricted in up or download.
- Train operators already buy mobile data at 50-80 Euro cents per gigabit. Whilst mobile throughput during peak hours cannot offer a tenth of the required bandwidth, the train operators cannot afford the data fees. As such, customer demand cannot and will not be met for many years.
- Rail-5G is delivered as a service, and not available as components. As such, evo delivers all the trackside and on-train fitment itself so the operator can simply enjoy the ‘step change’ in customer experience.
- The range of a single trackside antenna to the train depends on the topology of the railway in terms of Line-of-Sight (LoS). This can vary from 500m to over 1km. As such, the distance to the next trackside antenna can be the same again, i.e. double. Hence, the distance between trackside antennas is between 1km and 2.2km.
- The range determines the on-train internet throughput where evo generally ensures this averages close to 1Gb/s. This will vary from a minimum of 250Mb/s per antenna, midway between trackside poles, where there are two connections, so ~750Mb/s. to a maximum of over 2Gb/s.
The higher the demand the greater the customer satisfaction with rail-5G. As such, deploying on the busiest routes makes an simple and easy business case. However, even on low ridership routes rail-5G can make a case, though mobile can now compete. The key difference is that the trackside WAN created by rail-5G is lost for all station, staff and operational systems. All technologies have their niche, the issue is getting the balance right for the optimum cost –benefit versus customer experience by delivering a flexible hybrid solutions. This is essential for any business case to work in delivering a step change in customer satisfaction that will influence the customer’s choice of rail, enabling digital system and developing the on-train market, let alone a WAN for all business and operational data.
- South Western Railways (SWR) is one of Europe’s busiest railways and being deployed now.
- The Island Line on the Isle of Wight has been built as evo’s test and integration facility. This is available for live demonstrations now over Zoom or in person.
- Ller-Figueres-Perpignan (LFP) section of the TGV route between Spain and France is live and features our patented composite Stanchion Mounted Poles on a 300kph railway.
- Once we have a signed NDA we are happy to demonstrate rail-5G on the Island Line (Isle of Wight) or visit LFP (Figueres, Spain). You will see speeds over 2Gb/s.
- Evo is also happy to deliver an in-country trial that if it is part of any future deployment, will essentially be free of charge.
Evo can deliver the rail-5G service as turnkey, or, as a Joint Venture, or, simply as a licensed solution. However, rail-5G is not available as kit-only as all the elements must be delivered together as a fully integrated solution for evo to offer a guaranteed service.