[Article] Iarnród Éireann offered free Wi-Fi network

[Mark Gleeson]

I've met people from the main provider of this service in Europe, they being the guys who did GNER in the UK who remain the only UK operator to go wifi on all services

Firstly, this is extremely expensive gear, you can't use off the shelf consumer wifi routers you get in pc world or Peats, it has to meet rail safety specifications which is pretty hard to do. You have to physically cut a hole in the roof to fit a satellite receiver which has structural implications.

Of course the business case GNER developed for wifi was driven by remote access to the trains computer to diagnose and repair problems enroute, not passengers surfing the web. Its free to all passengers, but then again GNER where the best long distance operator in the UK, they had there house in order in passenger service terms

There is catch, no doubt heaps and heaps of ads will get dumped on me

The service is still appalling that needs to be addressed first without question