Wi-Fi Introduced on TGV Trains

Image : http://www.flickr.com

Officials for the French National Rail Authority, the SNCF, announced earlier this week that Wi-Fi would be introduced as part of a premium service packages available for passengers on TGV East services linking Paris, Lyon and other major cities.

From early December TGV passengers will to access a multiservice free hosting platform which combines Wi-Fi access with a media portal that includes movies, music, games and news-on-demand. Within a month of its introduction, the service will be available to some 11 million passengers who regularly travel on one of fifty-two TGV East trains.

Unfortunately, the luxury of 320km/h internet comes at a price: users will be confronted with a pay wall that asks for credit card verification to pay the 4.99 euro per hour service charge. SNCF executives have stated that the hefty initial hourly rate is to offset infrastructure costs associated with bringing a reliable Wi-Fi connection to a rapid transit environment.

1st and 2nd class travellers alike will have access to internet browsing, downloads and a host of multimedia services throughout their journey with TGV East. The success of the project was driven by partner projects that range from high-end telecommunications infrastructure companies to domestic and foreign content providers.

Online media will come from France 24, RFI and Le Monde, and customers will enjoy domain hosting of custom-generated information on weather, horoscopes, news culture and gaming. If the service succeeds on the TGV East lines, authorities have already discussed the possibility of unveiling the service nationwide on all of the Grandes Lignes.

Since Italian rail giant Thalys first introduced high-speed internet on its high speed trains back in 2008, rail providers across Europe have been searching out profitable methods of implementing a similar standard of service.

I'm 19 and from Devon, England. I like computers, surfing, music, and television though I'm not quite sure what to do with my life. I finished college last year, read every day and spend too much time on the internet. I usually write reviews and think-pieces about IT, free hosting, tech, gadgets Google and whatever else strikes my fancy.