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Wi-Fi on Trains Gains Momentum

The market for on-train Wi-Fi services is finally starting to take off. Major European, US and Asian operators are rapidly following the UK's lead and introducing on-board, high-speed wireless internet connections for their passengers. Against this background and with a host of new services rapidly emerging all over the world, the third annual Wi-Fi on Train Conference is set for a record turn-out.

Train Communications 2008, hosted by technology consultancy BWCS in London next month, will see train companies from across the globe meeting up to discuss the latest developments in this fast-moving market.

As Graham Wilde, CEO of BWCS, put it, "This year there has been an unprecedented number of new services and trials launched. From the West Coast of America, to India and Australia, we are seeing more interest than ever in these on-board Wi-Fi systems." He went on "train companies are fired up by a heady combination of introducing cost-saving applications for their own operations and adding new, income-generating, entertainment services for their passengers."

BWCS, which has worked with many of the leading operators on the development and procurement of Wi-Fi on train services will host a series of presentations by the leading rail companies on the 11th and 12th of June.

Wilde reflected that almost every train operator worth its salt will be at the conference, either presenting or attending. "We feel this is a great opportunity for all of us to learn from their successes and occasional failures, as well as to hear reports on progress from trials of new systems and services - straight from the horses' mouths."

Among those presenting at Train Communications Systems 2008 will be: SNCF, SJ, Trains (Sweden), Deutsche Bahn, Danish Rail, Nokia Siemens Networks, Lloyd's Register Rail, NS Trains, Parsons Corporation, Icomera, Wi-Fi Rail, Nomad Digital and many more.

Over two days, a combination of interactive workshops, panel sessions, presentations and networking sessions will explore the commercial and technical issues arising from the deployment of train Wi-Fi around the world as well as other newer applications developed as wireless broadband on trains becomes a reality. Train Communications 2008 will be held in central London on the 11th and 12th of June 2008.

The conference is sponsored by Nokia Siemens Networks, Icomera, InfoGlobal and Lloyd's Register Rail with lunches sponsored by Nomad Digital. 21Net is sponsoring a cocktail event at the end of the first day.



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