UK to Spend £57m Installing Satellite Wi-Fi on 1,400 Trains Over Five Years

The UK government announced plans this week to install satellite-based wi-fi on 1,400 mainline nationalised trains over the next five years. The Department for Transport will spend £57 million on the project, which aims to raise wi-fi availability from the present 50-60% to at least 90% and increase speeds between five- and ten-fold.

Current onboard systems rely on the same 4G and 5G mobile networks used by passengers' phones.

The Department for Transport states that when there is no signal outside the train, neither the wi-fi nor direct mobile services work. 09 Mbps, ranking it 16th out of 18 major European and Asian countries. 79 Mbps in the same study.

By comparison, the average maximum download speed for UK households and small businesses stands at 285 Mbps, according to Ofcom. Rebecca Kendall, 36, head of operations for a charity, takes the train about six times a month. On a typical journey she estimates she completes only about half the tasks she would finish at her desk.

She forewarns colleagues that audio calls may drop and says she would never schedule an important video call. On the 09:00 London to Norwich service, Kendall's connection remained largely stable, allowing her to send emails and messages. Later the same day on Greater Anglia's 16:30 service to London Liverpool Street, the wi-fi slowed or dropped entirely for some passengers while others maintained connections on their phones.

Greater Anglia says its service uses 3G and 4G signals and restricts access to some video and music-streaming sites. The operator continues to monitor performance and work with suppliers to improve connectivity. Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander is expected to announce the satellite plans formally this summer.

The new technology will replace reliance on trackside mobile towers with connections to low-earth satellites.