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BWCS has worked with Banedanmark and other parties in the Danish rail industry to hammer out a strategy for better on-train coverage and capacity.

In common with those in other European countries, passengers on the Danish rail network have found that internet access is not as good as it could be. As national rail administrator Banedanmark has been given the task to achieve an agreement that provides a unified solution for coverage, attenuation, and shaping through masts, repeaters and Wi-Fi.

Such a unified solution involves mobile network and train operators besides Banedanmark as rail infrastructure provider. BWCS and Banedanmark have worked with all of the country’s four national mobile network operators and two train operators and made a firm commitment to providing better coverage along the routes.

"We believe Denmark is leading the way in bringing all interested parties together to formulate a sensible plan to improve coverage and reduce the onboard angst of those unable to connect to the Wi-Fi service."

All parties were interested to thrash out a specific and detailed plan for how the Danish trackside infrastructure can be put to best use to ensure better mobile coverage. For instance, Banedanmark intends to upgrade trackside wireless infrastructure, including masts and transmission in order to improve the current situation.

According to Cathrine Carøe, the project leader at Banedanmark, said: "This has been a complex issue and we are delighted now that we seem to have achieved a consensus on how best to move forward and how to benefit from railway infrastructure and make the passengers able to use the train as a fully functional workplace."

Graham Wilde of BWCS commented: "The provision of internet connections on trains is taken for granted by most passengers. We believe Denmark is leading the way in bringing all interested parties together to formulate a sensible plan to improve coverage and reduce the onboard angst of those unable to connect to the Wi-Fi service."

The planning and cooperation between the stakeholders has already started, and it is hoped that improvements will be rolled out within few years. BWCS expects other European rail administrators to follow suit.

Søren Stahlfest, Banedanmark’s CFO will give a presentation on the Danish model of Internet in Trains at BWCS’s Wi-Fi on Trains Conference – Train Communications Systems 2015, which will take place in London, UK, this June.

For more information, please contact BWCS.