Britain's onboard train wi-fi is one of Europe's worst. This is how people manage
Summary
Wi-fi on trains in Britain is slow and often unreliable compared to other European countries. The government plans to improve this by installing new technology that connects trains to low-earth orbit satellites, which should boost coverage and speed over the next five years.Key Facts
- Britain’s onboard train wi-fi speed ranks 16th out of 18 major European and Asian countries.
- The average train wi-fi speed in the UK is 1.09 Mbps, much slower than countries like Sweden (64.58 Mbps) and Switzerland (29.79 Mbps).
- At home or office, UK internet speeds average 285 Mbps, far faster than train wi-fi.
- The government will spend £57 million to improve train wi-fi by 2029.
- New wi-fi systems will connect trains to low-earth orbit satellites instead of relying on mobile networks.
- Current wi-fi depends on 3G and 4G mobile signals, which often drop out, especially through tunnels or remote areas.
- The plan aims to increase wi-fi availability on trains from about 50-60% up to at least 90%.
- Several train operators participated in satellite wi-fi trials before the full rollout.
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