WiMax Hits 100 mph on Rails to Brighton

judgecorp writes "T-Mobile has put a Wi-Fi service on the London to Brighton Express commuter service. It uses WiMax (ok, pre-WiMax) for the uplink, and is cheap enough to put on any other long-distance rail service. One interesting thing is that they didn't need to wait for next year's "mobile" WiMax version: the system can handover between base stations at 100mph, using today's pre-WiMax (802.16d) products. The only drawback - in June the free trial ends, and we'll have to pay T-Mobile's high Wi-Fi charges."

a wish

[Anonymous Coward]

The only drawback - in June the free trial ends, and we'll have to pay T-Mobile's high Wi-Fi charges.

May this not end up as bad as cellphone service.

Yet another WiFi story...

[__aailob1448]

Am I the only one getting tired of all these uninteresting stories about WiFi being available here or there?

Yes, you can bridge hundreds of wireless routers and have humongous hot spots, yes you can get WiFi on moving spaces, yes you can go to the desert and have a connection over large distances and maybe beat this week's world record.

We know that.We really do. WiFi is great, it's this awesome magic thing that allows you to download the interweb out of thin air. Now knock it the hell off.

Thanks you.

High Wi-fi Charges

[shashark]

"and we'll have to pay T-Mobile's high Wi-Fi charges"

There goes another brilliant service down the drain.

High User Access Charges: The reason why services like these remain hugely unpopular.

Irony though is, service providers spend a fraction of what they earn over these services. Yet the "its-a-premium-service-hence-we-milk-you" syndrome keeps them from bringing the charges down. When will the service providers understand that term premium is only notional. Mobile was a luxury only 10 years ago -- now a country like India as 100mn cell users -- why ? because its low-cost.

Price is an entry barrier -- and high prices let less and less people use a service, and recommend it to other users. I just hope T-mobile understands that and keep the charges minimal, so that more users use it. And OEMs can provide more cheap solutions leveraging the service -- like wi-fi for train-staff communication.

Re:How queer...

[91degrees]

Since when has Brighton been a "high-tech media-savvy remote suburb of London"?

Since the mid 90's. It has a considerable prescence of internet providers and web based companies, as well as the European HQ of American Express.

As for "a remote suburb of London" - No idea where that came from. Probably ignorant Londoners who are unable to comprehend that something interesting might happen outside of London.

Re:Trains

[91degrees]

There is no British Rail network, but there is still a British rail network. Check the capitalisation. The first implies a network for "British Rail". The second implies a rail network that is British.

Re:Great

[PhilHibbs]

So how do you propose persuading T-Mobile to spend their money on improving the train service instead of offering communications services?

It's like the people who complained about The Gimp being "skinnable" when there is still some Photoshop functionality missing. Programmers who specialise in UI design aren't going to drop it and learn all about image composition techniques. We don't have a centralised command economy in the UK, or in the open source community.

Re:Trains

[BenjyD]

My sarcasm detector is off the scale...

The government subsidy to the railways has just about trebled since privatisation, IIRC. Private enterprise efficiency my arse.

If you're ever bored on a British train, find a ticket inspector who looks old enough to have been working since before privatisation and ask them if they prefer working for the privatised company.

Re:How queer...

[megan_of_wutai]

Since approximately the beginning of the 19th century.

Re:How queer...

[megan_of_wutai]

It's a commuter suburb, many people who work in London live there.

Re:Demand should lead supply

[akadruid]

That would only work until the next bridge, a lot of the bridges on the london-brighton line have less than a foot of clearance... better learn to duck fast.

There is a financial incentive to get new trains, just not _good_ new trains. Which is why the Southern/Thameslink area has a large number of the ultra cheap cattletruck 5 across electrostar trains, the ones that are almost worse than the 60s slam doors. The incentive is this: electric doors don't open once the driver hits the button. So instead of requiring inadequate platform staff that abuse the passengers, you can have no platform staff at all - a big cost saving.

Re:Trains

[Uart]

London -> Edinburgh and vice-versa, however always works that way.

Talking about that route, the GNER trains that run it are and have been equipped with wireless internet (that you pay for) for a while now.

Re:Trains

[rcs1000]

I hate to say it, but companies are not run for the benefit of employees. (Except, of course, for workers co-operatives.)

It's funny; everyone slags off the railways privatisation. But (coincidentally, I'm sure) their privatisation marked a reversal of the trend of downward rail passenger miles that had started in 1945. Rail passenger miles are up 30% from the bottom. If the new railways are so awful, why are more people using them?

Because they have no other choice?

[rpjs]

Take commuting into central London. Even with the outrageously high rail fares, it's still cheaper for most people to commute by train than car when you factor in the high-price of parking in central London, and not to mention the Congestion Charge.

Re:Trains

[nuser]

It's the Piccadilly line. There is a Heathrow Express, and also a Gatwick Express and a Stanstead Express. The Heathrow Express was once reported to be the most expensive (to travel on) railway in the world. The choice looks like; Heathrow Express 15 minutes to C London 13GBP, or Piccadilly line 50 mins to C London at 6.5GBP. Also taxi to C London 25-30GBP (unless the driver think's you're foreign, a tourist, from up-north, not from London etc etc)

Re:High Wi-fi Charges

[Threni]

> I just hope T-mobile understands that and keep the charges minimal,

Let's just hope T-Mobile has the intelligence and experience running multi-million pound, international business of a Slashdot poster, eh? I hope to god they listen to you!

Re:High Wi-fi Charges

[Threni]

> T-Mobile regularly overcharges people on their cell phone bills

Then get a refund for the amount over and above what you've agreed, in writing, in your contract.

> and then zaps them with a 200
> buck cancellation fee when they can't afford
> to keep paying $110 over the expected price.

Oh, you don't mean they overcharge you - you mean you incur more charges (ie make more calls/SMS messages etc) than anticipated.

> I would recommend against doing business with that
> company in any form.

What - lets you spend more than you should? Yeah, I'd stay away from fruit machines too in that case.

Re:Great

[iworm]

That's the attitude that let's the UK's shoddy train system continue the way it is - the British belief that it's unreasonable to design something that meets an entirely predictable and regular peak.