By Gemma Simpson, 24 April 2007 17:02
NEWS
All Heathrow Express trains have been wi-fi-enabled to provide passengers with broadband speeds of up to 2Mbps for the 15 to 20 minute journey.
The service, providing a direct link between Paddington station and Heathrow Airport, offers passengers a broadband connection during the entire trip, including a 6km tunnel.
However, speeds of up to 8Mbps - promised last November - are not available.
Photo gallery
Jay Saw, chief commercial officer at Nomad Digital, which supplies network operator T-Mobile, told silicon.com the wi-fi network could theoretically support speeds of up to 32Mbps but that would mean higher prices for customers.
Bandwidths of more than 2Mbps are not necessary for the simple email and internet applications most customers will be using on the Heathrow Express network, said Saw.
Wi-fi users need to buy a T-Mobile HotSpot access card to get online, with rates starting at 75p for 10 minutes. An hour's connection costs £5.
The card can then be used on the Heathrow Express or at more than 400 T-Mobile HotSpot locations within London.
The Heathrow Express' on-board wi-fi uses a 3.5G HSDPA cellular connection or WiMax - when in a tunnel - to connect the train back to the T-Mobile network.
You what
?
Bust through tech jargon with silicon.com's Cheat Sheets.
Train operator GNER already offers on-board wi-fi using a combination of a satellite link and mobile 3G/GPRS networks, which enables 100 per cent connectivity even when going through tunnels too.
Wi-fi on the London to Brighton train route is also provided by T-Mobile and uses Nomad technology and WiMax for a backhaul connection.
Click here to see photos of the Heathrow Express wi-fi in action.
Comments
There are 4 comments. Join the discussion
1. anonymous
The most expensive train line in the world (mile for mile, so i have read) now has wi-fi rates which per hour make London's rip off hotels look like good value. Brilliant.
Combine this with the fact that the 'express' often limps through to Heathrow in far longer than the 15minutes claimed, yet still costs £15 one way and never advertises (train) service problems.
My laptop will stay in its bag, and my blackberry will remain as my preferred UK roaming device.
Service providers need to understand that wi fi and the like are no longer premium / luxury services but are basic must haves.
I think the only way the express has survived this long is because the majority of people using it are not paying for it out of their own pocket.
2. John Foster
"with rates starting at 75p for 10 minutes. An hour's connection costs £5."
Is this correct? Six 10-minute cards would be £4.50
[Ed. Note: We realise the possible discrepancy but have confirmed with T-Mobile that those are the current advertised rates. Perhaps the key is the "starting at".]
3. Sarah
What is the point of the investment in this technology for such a short journey?
Surely the money would be better spent on improving the service?
4. Chris Goodman
Here we go again with a "rip-off", charges that are far above cost and will be making an excessive profit - unless the charges deter users.
It would have been nice if the rail company provided a courtesy connection during the 15 minute journey. Even nicer if mobile phone providers had not been involved in the service, instead using line and wireless access points or utilising the power supply lines.