German Railways To Get WLAN RailNet 202
wertarbyte writes "According to the German IT news site Heise, german Telekom and the german railway corporation Deutsche Bahn have formed an alliance to equip the ICE high speed trains with WLAN access (Babelfish translation), as well as the stations those trains arrive at. This offer is aimed at business travellers, and will first be introduced on routes frequented by those ("travel time is usable time")."
Yes, but... (Score:4, Interesting)
Re:Yes, but... (Score:5, Informative)
Whether or not the same pricing model would be carried over to the on-board access no one knows.
Re:Yes, but... (Score:5, Interesting)
At thiry euros, I'd probably kill time by reading a book instead. At ten, I'd probably want to geek on my laptop.
Re:Yes, but... (Score:5, Funny)
I hope it's on the Slashdot Approved List, else ye are a sinner and should lose -2 points for blasphemy.
Re:Yes, but... (Score:2)
You've never travelled on an ICE train, have you?
You've never travelled on an ICE train, have you?
You won't get any argument from me there, but I'm in the minority here compared to the rest of the worl
Re:Yes, but... (Score:5, Informative)
So around $29.99 a month
Looking around the German site I don't see a monthly package. http://www.t-mobile.de/business/tarife/1,2279,380
Re:Yes, but... (Score:5, Informative)
Re:Yes, but... (Score:2)
When I worked in Germany as an IT consultant we billed the time on the train to the customer because in 1st class you had ideal working conditions. I've got a lot of work done on trains. The only thing that impaired productivity was the fact that you were off-line.
Consultants will be able to pass on the price for WLAN on trains to their clients and business execs will also put a high price on the extra bit of productivity that online access will give t
Does that mean it's.... (Score:4, Funny)
Re:Does that mean it's.... (Score:2)
Nice (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:Nice (Score:5, Informative)
Re:Nice (Score:2)
Corporate travel by plane is overrated (unless you are going by private plane - even then the trip is seen as being a perk for those that are "higher level" in the company.)
Trains are the way to go, in my opinion, since it gives the traveller the time to reflect on what is to be done after arrival. All the better if you can communicate en route to keep up to date with possibly changing issues. Air travel is just too hectic and fraught with possible delays.
This is good (Score:5, Insightful)
From time to time I travel on train for a few hours. On business class I can get an electric outlet for my laptop so it doesn't run out of power while I work. It is nice that I can get some work done in the train.
But it is really annoying to be disconnected from the net while I travel by train.
I wouldn't mind paying a bit extra for the ticket if I could have access to the net. (Well, I don't pay the ticket myself. But my company wouldn't mind paying either.)
Re:Is planned in Denmark too (Score:2)
Right! I'm moving to Denmark!
Network Connectivity (Score:5, Interesting)
Re:Network Connectivity (Score:3, Informative)
So they have a big Wimax router on the train which connects to several 802.11G routers throughout the train which give you your wireless.
Internet -> Wimax -> 802.11G -> Your Laptop
Re:Network Connectivity (Score:2)
Wimax does not yet have mobility (Score:2)
As of the fall, Mobility was still being worked on. Certainly no hardware available. So I still wonder how they are going to do this. Maybe just don't intend to deploy all that soon.
Re:Wimax does not yet have mobility (Score:3, Insightful)
As of the fall, Mobility was still being worked on. Certainly no hardware available. So I still wonder how they are going to do this. Maybe just don't intend to deploy all that soon.
Built in mobility support would only be needed if peoples laptops were connecting directly to the fixed routers. I imagine what they will do is have 802.11G to WiMax routers on the train and use MobileIP or NEMO or custom software to allow those routers to switch between fixed routers. The fixed routers and the train it
Re:Wimax does not yet have mobility (Score:2)
Re:Wimax does not yet have mobility (Score:2)
Re:Network Connectivity (Score:2)
Re:Network Connectivity (Score:3, Informative)
It would be cooler for them to use NEMO [ietf.org] (Network Mobility) which defines a system where nodes within the network are fixed with respect to a given router, and where it is the routers that are mobile.
(In a technical and physical sense, this is exactly what they have.)
In terms of coverage, the ideal would be for a consortium of rail providers to get together and construct a uniform system across all countries in Europe. This lik
Re:Network Connectivity (Score:2)
yeah... 'cause GSM is a "world standard" now
Re:Network Connectivity (Score:2)
Re:Network Connectivity (Score:2)
that's news to me and likely hundreds of others that use it daily
Re:Network Connectivity (Score:3, Interesting)
If I could surf the net and get work done, I certianly wouldn't mind 4 hours on a train everyday. My guess is that more trains don't have the technology already beacuse its pretty
Re:Network Connectivity (Score:2)
Re:Network Connectivity (Score:4, Informative)
In the UK one of the operators, GNER, who serve the East Cost have been rolling this out over the past year, there is a link from the GNER Wi-Fi page [gner.co.uk] Which explains who it works for them. A combination of satalite and mobile phone for when in tunnels
3G on a train.. (Score:2)
In the UK I've been using Orange 3G to provide network connectivity. Its still a bit patchy, but its good enough for most tasks and its superb as you get towards London or other major cities.
Re:Network Connectivity (Score:2)
I guess the Telekom connection will use an improved system based on this infrastructure, with higher bandwith and maybe lower latency. Becaus
I think... (Score:5, Interesting)
Most interesting: "In order to lead the data from and to the driving course to, the British set on a Wimax net along the distance, which is to transfer up to 32 MBit/s" If that means download rates will be up to that much, I wouldn't mind something that fast on my DSL (mine barely reaches 3MBit/s). Especially in the middle of a railroad (unless that 32 MBit/s is shared by every commuter on the train).
FWIW, here's the original [heise.de] I believe, for those that understand such a language.
Thanks for the original (Score:3, Insightful)
If /. is going to link to auto-translated articles, I would prefer that the Google translator is used. Both because it translates fine and because it contains a link to the original text for those who understand the original language.
Human translation (Score:2, Informative)
"accordinng to british media sources the british firm 't-mobile uk' plans to test this between london and brighton on the Southern Express in march and april.
To allow data in and out of the trains they're setting up a wimax network along that stretch of track that should provide up to 32mbps."
I'm sure it's shared... (Score:3, Informative)
Lucky (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:Lucky (Score:2)
This will be nice (Score:5, Interesting)
This indeed was far more civilized than any train I had been in the U.S., and also was much nicer than the horror of ever more cramped planes. All it was missing was wifi. If they change that, it will indeed be very cool.
Re:This will be nice (Score:2, Funny)
Of course it was pleasant. After being in Amsterdam for a while, doing anything is pleasant. You may also be hungry.
Re:This will be nice (Score:2)
Unfortunately I did not get to visit Essen this trip, which I gather means "eating". Actually, it may also surprise some to learn that there are some coffee houses in Amsterdam that only do serve coffee.
Re:This will be nice (Score:2)
I never understood how American trains were so open and based on standing when all of ours are the opposit..
Re:This will be nice (Score:2)
Sounds good, hope it works (Score:3, Informative)
The same kind of thing was recently put into place on certain routes of the Washington State Ferries, one of which I use daily.
It's a really good idea, but I wonder if rail will have the same limitations I experience with our own system (boats).
Mobilisa's "Wireless Over Water" is cool- when we're in the slip or not too far from it. The trip I take is 35 minutes each way, the first 5-7 minutes and the last 5-7 minutes are awesome, but the whole time in between (from either Seattle or Bainbridge Island) is riddled with drop outs and disconnects.
Well, it's a boat in the middle of the water, you might say. Yes, but not really any different from a train that has to move between access points along its own route. If they put enough of them in, great, but on a bullet train how bad would it suck to have a drop out every few minutes while it moves from one hotspot to the next?
Yes of course the contractor implementing it will say that won't happen, but they said that about our in-commute Wi-Fi, too.
Contractors... (Score:5, Insightful)
Welcome news (Score:3)
Re:Welcome news (Score:2)
If you reserve a seat with a table there is a standard wall outlet under it that delivers 220v so you can be gaming or watching movies on your laptop the whole trip without worrying about batteries.
The new ICE 3 trains do have 220V power sockets on every seat. You just haveto find out which train serves your route. ICE1 trains do not have power sockets, except in coach 7, where a ICE2 coach can be integrated. ICE2 trains do have a power sockets under the 4-person-tables.
Check this site [grahnert.de] (ICE-Züge
Re:Welcome news (Score:2)
It really is a shame that they use those trains for some of the longest routes they have (Berlin - Basel comes to mind). Maybe they prefer the first generation on long routes because it's more reliable than its successors, but what do I know...
Atlanta rails get TV (Score:2, Interesting)
http://www.cnn.com/2005/TRAVEL/03/03/subway.tvs.a
Canada Has This (Score:4, Informative)
http://www.viarail.com/wirelessinternet/
Wi-Fi on the train, Internet heandled by 2 way to a Bell satellite
Will it work? (Score:5, Funny)
Will consumer-grade WLAN equipment be able to deal with issues such as Doppler shifted frequencies and dilated packet times?
I might not be old enough to understand this but.. (Score:4, Interesting)
It's simple: show a little backbone. (Score:2)
The solution to this is remarkably simple -- people need to stop being such damned pushovers. I don't understand why more people feel the need to complain about how management expects more out of them now that they're more easily reachable; all they have to do is show a little backbone and stand up for their free time once in a while.
When people negotiate pay, they need to take availability into account. Want to be able to call me on Saturdays? That'll cost you a
Re:I might not be old enough to understand this bu (Score:3, Interesting)
British railways already have this (Score:5, Informative)
Re:British railways already have this (Score:2)
Can anyone explain please (Score:2)
What kind of internet connection must the train count with in order to keep the IP address (and not to drop the current connections)? What speed does that kind of link can get? What are the technical requirements for such a thing to work?
Just some thoughts out of my ignorance.
Regards,
Re:Can anyone explain please (Score:3, Funny)
If only they were able to twist the rails around each other, they'd be able to get even better throughput.
Re:Can anyone explain please (Score:2)
Re:Can anyone explain please (Score:2, Interesting)
One way would be to use a satellite telephone circuit and get a dialup internet connection through it
A better way would be to get a dedicated tcp/ip connection through a satellite. You get more bandwidth that way as well
For operational reasons it would be a good idea to have tcp/ip out to the train anyway. Makes it easier to integrate your ground based systems with those on the vehicle.
Such a system could simplify everything from monitoring vehicle engineeri
Re:Can anyone explain please (Score:2)
They could (Score:3, Interesting)
Re:They could (Score:2)
Re:They could (Score:2)
wardial? (Score:3, Funny)
The Germans get WiFi on their trains... (Score:5, Insightful)
I want my uber-trains with wifi, darnit!
Why Shouldn't They? (Score:2)
Now, maybe this would be different if roads weren't almost entirely government funded, since more people would use trains as an alternative to driving.
let's apply that uniformly (Score:3, Insightful)
Great! Let's apply that logic to planes and cars.
Why shouldn't their funds be cut. Right now, a train ticket does not cost significantly less than a plane ticket.
That's because the infrastructure and operating expenses necessary for flying are heavily subsidized by the government (i.e., your and my tax dollars)
Traveling from one side of the US to the other takes a matter of hours by
Re:let's apply that uniformly (Score:2)
I priced a round-trip Amtrak ticket from Cincinnati to Dallas at $240. The trip was to take over 24 hours, routing me through Chicago, then going to Dallas.
I bought a round trip ticket on a major airline for $180, non-stop. The trip took a little over 2 hours.
I wouldn't mind riding a train if it made economic sense, but it doesn't.
As far as commuting, I live in Dayton Ohio and work in Cincinnati. I have a 45mi comm
Unfair comparison... (Score:2)
What I can't understand is the fact you don't have high-speed rail in the densely populated northeast (and, no, the Acela doesn't count) which could easily support it - not to mention the shitty public transport in most of your l
Re:let's apply that uniformly (Score:2, Insightful)
I'm guessing the recent multi billion dollar grant given to the airlines has something to do with that low price. Now, if the airlines had to actually fully pay for things like airports, I'm guessing your fare would be about $1800.
Re:let's apply that uniformly (Score:2)
Cincinnati to Dallas is pushing it for current train systems (that's about 1000 miles?)--that's going to take a lot longer on the train than on the plane (although it may still be more pleasant).
A sensible infrastructure would use planes for distances starting at around 500 miles and use trains int
The "Infrastructure" for flying? (Score:2)
"the US railroad infrastructure is thoroughly obsolete--it doesn't haev to be that slow"
The US railroad infrastructure is not obsolete, you just don't know the difference between Light rail (used for transporting passengers) and Heavy Rail (used for transporting cargo). With heavy rail, you want to move as much as possible, as cheaply as possible. Since r
Re:Why Shouldn't They? (Score:2)
If you applied that logic to air travel then every major US airline would have gone bust a long time ago. Or
Re:Why Shouldn't They? (Score:2)
That does not seem to parse with me. Maybe I'm just stupid. Did you mean amount of freight measured in ton/mile? That still doesn't make sense, though, does it? Ton * mile seems like a more reasonable way to measure the amount of freight transported. But it's not like there was any merit to transporting a lot of stuff over large distances - actually, the less you transport and the shorter the distance, the better. Obviously, a large, sparsely popula
Re:Why Shouldn't They? (Score:2)
That depends of course on the train service. If I have the choice between a fast train connection in modern trains or going by car, I usually prefer the train. If having to stare on the road for a few hours means freedom to you, then we surelly have different attitudes.
Train stations as well (Score:3, Insightful)
Old news in Sweden (Score:2, Informative)
Linx has recently gone out of business and has been bought out by SJ (Swedish railways). SJ has also announced [press.sj.se] (Swedish article) that 85 of its trains will also be equipped with WLAN.
Link to original article, not translation (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:Link to original article, not translation (Score:2)
Re:Link to original article, not translation (Score:2)
You call this English?
At the 11. M? want the bosses of both enterprises, Hartmut Mehdorn and dock Uwe ricke, on which CeBIT admits further details gives [altavista.com].
I really must visit Gibberland sometime, but I guess I'll struggle with the language.
more work, less relax time (Score:2, Interesting)
Help me out folks (Score:2)
Re:Help me out folks (Score:2)
You're welcome.
Re:Help me out folks (Score:2)
Observation 1) Wifi=evil if provided at taxpayer expense (friday).
Observation 2) Wifi=evil if provided by corp, ie not taxpayer expense (saturday).
Conclusion: wifi=evil.
Ahh well, it'll be monday soon. I'm sure wifi != evil on monday.
Re:Help me out folks (Score:2)
India already has a trial! (Score:3, Interesting)
RailTel has a pilot experiment running on a high-speed train in western India where they are providing wireless access on the train. There are plans to extend that to the rest of the network. Of course, only some chosen, elite trains will get it, but they will get it nonetheless.
For the price-conscious, I should let you know that the internet cafes at some railway stations in India provide internet access at less than $0.50 per hr and international calling for $0.10 per min through VOIP.
Re:India already has a trial! (Score:2)
IT hardware in India costs about the same as IT hardware anywhere else so anyone who's carrying around a laptop either is capable of paying $0.50 per hr themselves or has an employer that can do so.
Re:India already has a trial! (Score:2)
$0.50 is equivalent to about Rs. 20. That's about the cost of a 15 minute ride in an autorickshaw, which is well within the reach of anyone who's got enough money to buy a laptop. Heck, even 1 hour of broadband access in a Reliance WebWorld internet cafe will cost you Rs. 50.
Trust me, I know what I'm talking about here. I just got back from a holiday in
Well, well, well... (Score:2)
The Swedish X2000 and X40... (Score:3, Informative)
Yawn. (Score:2)
Travel time is useful time? (Score:2)
Re:Travel time is useful time? (Score:2)
Yay! We can play Internet Hearts! (Score:2)
Re:Is it free ? (Score:4, Funny)
Re:Why can't the MTA do this? (Score:2)
Bureaucratic blunders, such as the drastically overbudget renovation of MTA headquarters in downtown Brooklyn, and the reluctance to open the West Side railyard to competitive bidding, certainly don't help. But perhaps if rail, and other predominantly urban modes of transit, were subsidized to the same lav
Re:will people use it? (Score:2)
I expect this to be possible on the train too.
Re:Lufthansa (Score:2, Informative)
See also http://cms.lufthansa.com/fly/de/en/inf/0,4976,0-0- 1144177,00.html [lufthansa.com]
Re:Bahn? (Score:2)
"Bahn" without a secondary word originally means a large, flat, uncut piece of paper (Papierbahn), cloth (Stoffbahn), roof covering (Teerbahn) etc., no matter for what purpose these items are used.
Then there is "Eisenbahn" (Eisen = Iron), which is the German word for railway. "Deutsche Bahn" is derived from this. "Fahrbahn" (Fahr- = drive-) is "road surface" or "road lane". The formation of "Autobahn" should be clear b