T-Mobile Providing Backhaul for Wi-Fi Service on Ferries
Ferry users between the UK's Isle of Wight and mainland will now have access to a Wi-Fi service following the completion of a deployment by ferry operator, Wightlink and Moovera Networks. Wightlink has equipped ferries in the South of England running between the Isle of Wight and the mainland towns of Portsmouth and Lymington with the Moovbox M Series mobile broadband gateway, which provides Internet access at multi-megabit speeds, and real-time GPS-based ship location monitoring.
“By equipping our ferries with always-on, high-speed broadband technology from Moovera Networks, we’re able to ensure our captains and crew have instant access to online resources throughout the voyage. We’re also laying the foundation for public Wi-Fi hotspot services as we continually seek ways to improve the passenger experience.” said Andrew Willson, Wightlink’s Chief Executive.
The Moovbox M Series delivers Internet access on the Wightlink ships at speeds up to 3.6 Mbps by creating a bridge between a vessel and a HSPA cellular broadband network from T-Mobile. The Moovbox offers Ethernet connectivity for ship systems, secure Wi-Fi for crew laptops, and includes built-in GPS for real-time fleet tracking.
With eight car ferries and three FastCats in the fleet, annually Wightlink carries over 5.5 million passengers, 1.2 million cars, and almost 200,000 coaches and freight vehicles.
Moovera Networks has provided similar services for bus companies in the UK - but previously relied on Vodafone for the HSPA back-haul connection.
Posted to the site on 14th April 2008