Passengers on the Heathrow Express will soon have access to wifi internet services through T-Mobile. The telecoms provider hopes to have the service fully operational by early 2007, with broadband connections available on all carriages and throughout the journey (including tunnel sections) at speeds of up to 8 Mbps.
Customers can either use valid credit bought prior to boarding (with prices starting from £5 for 60 minutes, valid for a 24-hour period) or purchase hotspot access passes on the train. Note though that while T-Mobile does have hotspots at both London Heathrow Airport and Paddington station (the departure point for the Heathrow Express) these do not link seamlessly with the train coverage – passengers will need to log on again when they reach their destination to continue browsing, though there is no extra charge for this.
Says Jay Saw, hotspot manager, T-Mobile UK:
"We see wifi on trains as the one area that hasn't been properly addressed. T-Mobile is currently in active discussion with a whole host of rail operators, and we know that the demand is there, but we have to be sure the numbers work – it is a very expensive solution, so we have to know there is the right profile of user."
"Our regular surveys show that 85% of customers use our wifi service primarily for email, but 75% also use it for web browsing, so there is multiple application use during each session. The [Heathrow Express] service is very much aimed at getting that last email off, synchronising your inbox before you get on the plane, maybe because you won't have time airside. Once on the train people just sit there – they can't accelerate the process, so we are helping them to make the most of it – it's a very intense, specific connectivity offering."
T-Mobile already offers an in-train wifi service on the London-Brighton Express commuter route, which Saw says is currently seeing a good level of take-up. He admits that users of the service can experience dips in connectivity speeds, but says that providing a service on a moving train across a distance of 60km is very different to doing so in a stationary coffee shop.
"Speed can go up and down as you go through different areas, but for 99% of the time we are able to maintain connection so users do not get dropped, and we are finding that is just as important to users as the issue of speed. Typically work on tunnels in the UK needs to get network rail approval, which can be a tortuous process, and is one reason why connectivity in tunnels is not so good. There is one long tunnel on the Heathrow Express route, but this is owned by Heathrow Express and BAA, so we are able to put in equipment specifically for connectivity."
"We are using a mixture of technologies, primarily a wimax derivative off the train, with wifi onboard to speak to the laptops, etc. The tunnel connectivity will be entirely wimax, and we have had very good feedback from radio surveys as to the connectivity in the tunnels."
Around 5.3 million journeys are made on the Heathrow Express each year, with journey times around 15 minutes and adult fares from £13.50 single and £26 return.
Visit t-mobile.co.uk/hotspot, heathrowexpress.com.
Report by Mark Caswell
