Swisscom has enabled data roaming on SBB’s fleet of trains by partnering with wholesale carrier BICS.
Switzerland’s largest carrier has deployed BICS’s Instant Roaming service, which will allow the train company’s drivers and staff to access call, messaging and data services regardless of where the train is located. SBB said its staff need to have access to a number of “service critical” enterprise applications throughout a train’s journey.
Tommy Bertling, Senior Roaming Manager, Swisscom AG, said: “SBB is a long-term strategic partner for Swisscom and, as such, the success of this very ambitious and complex project was of vital importance. Providing the complete package of communications services to our enterprise customers is of vital importance, whether that is inside the country or when they are moving onto partner networks abroad.”
Sophie Greffier, Vice President Europe and North Africa, BICS added: “This deployment is a landmark for BICS in providing connectivity for an increasingly diverse customer-base. Enterprises in specific sectors today are starting to demand the same standards of high-quality cross-border data roaming services as MNOs to run critical services for their employees. This deployment, completed in a challenging time-scale, shows BICS and its partners are in an excellent position to fulfil these needs.”
Enabling roaming is the latest upgrade to Switzerland’s rail networks that operators have implemented. In September last year, InTrainCom, a consortium between the country’s three operators, announced plans to extend coverage by fitting repeaters onto carriages that run on regional routes.
Read more:
iPass hotspots reach 13 million as appetite for community Wi-Fi grows