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On October 18th, SBB was invited to a press conference to present their plans for free internet on trains. SBB explained the reasons for the completion of the "CFF Free Surf" project. The company also explained how it wanted to offer its customers free Internet access and why WLAN in Swiss trains should not be the best choice.
The event began with a brief presentation of the current state and future prospects of SBB's free internet in trains. Peter Kummer, CIO and member of the SBB Executive Committee, explained the initial situation and defined the prerequisites for a national Internet coverage in Switzerland. Access to the Internet via the mobile radio via wave-permeable windows in the trains offers, on the one hand, simpler internet coverage in almost all locations than via WLAN. Only difficult passages such as tunnels should be equipped with radio equipment. On the other hand, there is a problem with the trains: they are shielded like Faraday cage radios from the inside and the outside. So you have to find a way to direct the signal in the train or to amplify it in the train. SBB wanted to use laser perforated windows for all new trains and gradually replace the repeaters currently used in trains, namely signal amplifiers. The new windows had the advantage of also working with 5G networks, while the repeaters had always to be updated. As there is always a national mobile network in Switzerland, windows permeable to radio waves are the best choice. In addition, travelers can use the offers of their mobile phone service provider and, after a single registration in the application of SBB, everything goes smoothly, promised grief. All the customer needs is a SIM card.
Mobile monsoons dominate in Switzerland
A guided tour of the SBB train hall in Altstetten was then presented, along with three brief presentations of the implementation and application of the new technology.
On the basis of a "rain analogy," explained one employee, why the WLAN makes little sense for Swiss trains, as it rains almost everywhere in Switzerland, when rain is synonymous mobile network and Internet bandwidth. As a result, a WLAN only functions as a funnel, which delays the delivery of water, especially from the Internet, to the users of the train.
the mobile in the Swiss, shown with Water. (Source: Media Network)
The new radio-permeable windows allow the radio to pass through directly and have also been designed so that heat or cold is emitted from outside as in the conventional metal-coated windows of the air-conditioned train. In the case of windows, a thin line, barely visible, is cut in the metal coating, which pierces the Faraday cage and produces a reception at least as strong as possible with signal amplifiers. The maintenance effort is minimized. SBB is currently examining various window and mobile network offerings. With the upgrade of the IC2000 fleet next year, the technology is expected to be used in 341 passenger cars, for which more than 13,000 X-ray disks would be installed. In a train, participants could examine the glasses. The grid pattern is visible only when you look at a specific angle and against the light.
With the car measuring on looking for radio holes
In a second illustration, the SBB showed a signal amplifier in the wagon of the train, without which the quality of the reception would be greatly reduced. SBB is investing nearly 100 million francs in signal amplifiers in collaboration with mobile operators. Currently, more than 1300 cars and 150 trains are installed, 4G amplifiers are needed, that is to say it would require several amplifiers per train. By 2024, the entire fleet of CFFs should be equipped with signal amplifiers or special discs. In addition, SBBs would operate 1165 GSM-R mobile sites. Overall, a 270-kilometer tunnel section should be upgraded with radio equipment.
portable amplifier in the train car. (Source: Media Network)
mobile cables the in tunnels is necessary, (Source: Media Network)
A specially equipped SBB measuring vehicle evaluates the coverage of the mobile network on the routes in order to locate the existing gaps. By 2022, existing tunnel radio systems must be replaced by new digital systems that are also 5G compatible. In long-distance trains abroad, trains must be equipped with a WLAN, which is preferable abroad, as the mobile network has many dead spots and bandwidth is lower, so that the signal amplifiers or radio-transparent discs are free. Internet via WLAN should be free for all travelers.
900 tags in 44 trains ICN
In the last brief presentation, an employee showed how the customer can connect to the new SBB free internet application and how user recognition works on the train. Thanks to Beacons, which send a message to the traveler's smartphone via Bluetooth (BLE), smartphone recognition is possible, as mini-transmitters can only send messages and not receive messages. In order for the sender to contact the traveler, he must install an application on his mobile phone and register once with his mobile phone number, after which he would receive an SMS with a code. As soon as the user gets on a train and launches Gartisinternet on his application, activate Beacon, the free Internet function. This happens automatically when you leave the train and the user surfs again at his own expense. The advantage of the tags is the cheaper upgrade in the trains compared to the installation of a WLAN. In addition, the installation of about 900 tags in 44 ICN trains can be completed in about 4 weeks. However, since the Internet is distributed on mobile, a mobile receiver and a SIM card are required for reception, which many laptops or laptops have not installed.
Salt and Sunrise customers can access the Internet for free, but not for Swisscom. At the request of "20 minutes", Swisscom spokesman Armin Schädeli said: "Most Swisscom customers benefit from a flat-rate subscription, which means that they can also use SBB trains for the same flat rate ". SBB intends to cover 99% of Swiss rail links with 4G by 2020.
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