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Telecom Italia Upgrading 3G Coverage Along High-Speed Railway
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Telecom Italia is fitting out Italian high-speed trains with on-board Wi-Fi services, with the first trains coming into service within the next few weeks. Frecciarossa high-speed trains will be offering internet connections, improved telephone reception including coverage within tunnels and, from next May, new entertainment and news services.
Passengers will be able to access the internet on the move from smartphones and USB modems connected to the 3G network, or via the train's Wi-Fi system. During the first month, Wi-Fi internet connections will be offered free of charge.
Franco Bernab, CEO of Telecom Italia, declares: "We are very pleased that Italian State Railways chose Telecom Italia for this high profile project, confirming our status as innovation leaders. For this particularly challenging project we deployed our expertise to tackle issues associated with the mountainous terrain, the high number of tunnels, and upgrading mobile network performance to cope with high speeds. Our aim is to offer our customers high-quality internet access wherever they are, at all times.
Starting in May 2011, a web-based, Wi-Fi accessible platform will deliver the Train Portal, offering news, film footage, music, travel and weather info, timetables and station information, video clips and video games. The platform leverages a Wi-Fi network and server farm installed on board trains.
For this challenging technological achievement, the entire High-Speed fleet has been equipped with IT and telecommunications systems, and the 3G network was upgraded to extend coverage and boost network capacity. Mobile 3G signal transmission was enhanced by installing 74 new nodes along the 1000 km or so of High-Speed line, including 82 tunnels. All 60 Frecciarossa trains have been equipped with 3G signal amplification technology systems, and Wi-Fi access points have been installed in every carriage.
All on-board installations and all tunnel coverage infrastructure are designed to repeat the signals of Italy's other mobile operators. Other operators are currently working to boost their external mobile radio coverage along the High Speed railtrack. This work is expected to be completed from March 2011 onwards, after the necessary agreements have been completed.
Tags: [telecom italia] [railway] [3g network] [telecom] [mobile radio] [usb] [coverage] [video] [tunnel] [modems] [Italy]
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