With Siemens Communications as technology partner, a Wi-Fi broadband Internet connection via satellite was successfully tested aboard a high-speed train on the Paris to Brussels route, offering business people, train personnel and private travellers a fast and stable opportunity to surf the Internet while traveling at more than 300 km/h.
Siemens Communications integrated the wireless broadband Wi-Fi network in the passenger cars and provided the complete management system including authentication and billing. The link between the train and satellite has a maximum bandwidth of 4 Mbit/s downstream and 2 upstream - comparable to the quality of an ADSL+ connection
The pilot project will run for three months on one train only, but if proven successful, train operator Thalys will equip its entire fleet of 28 trains running on the Brussels-Paris route with super fast internet.
The principle behind the solution is technologically complex but extremely user friendly at the same time. When paying for a seat, each passenger receives a password and ID for logging on to the wireless broadband interconnection. As soon as the passenger logs on, the authentication information is sent to the central Network Operations Center (NOC) of Siemens Belgium via satellite, where the authentication of users is managed for time-based billing data.
The railway expertise of the Siemens 'Energy Industry Transport' department in Belgium helped in the design of the special racks for the servers and configuration components. Occupying only the smallest space, the racks meet specific requirements imposed by the relevant railway networks, are vibration proof and protected against electrical over-voltage.
"Siemens' knowledge of the railway sector combined with proven know-how of mobile data transmission was decisive in this project," says Christoph Caselitz, President of Mobile Networks at Siemens Communications. "Siemens has hereby reconfirmed its role as network integrator as well as its local role as competence centre for mobile data."
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Siemens Communications is one of the largest players in the global telecommunications industry. Siemens is the only provider in the market that offers its customers a full-range portfolio, from devices for end users to complex network infrastructures for enterprises and carriers as well as related services. Siemens Communications is the world's innovation leader in convergent technologies, products and services for wireless, fixed and enterprise networks. It is the largest Group within Siemens and operates in more than 160 countries around the world. In fiscal 2003 (year-end September 30), its 60,000-strong workforce posted sales of about 17 billion euros.
For more information please visit Siemens Communications at www.siemens.com/communications
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