T-Mobile offers commuters Wi-Fi broadband

T-Mobile has unveiled plans to offer a Wi-Fi broadband service on trains between London to Brighton this summer.

Passengers on Southern’s express rail service between London and Brighton will be able to send and receive emails or surf the net.

According to T-Mobile, its HotSpot service is made possible by the installation of Wi-Fi access points within the train’s carriages, which in turn are connected to a WiMax network running alongside the tracks. These links pass data in both directions at rates of up to 32Mbps.

Brian McBride, managing director at T-Mobile UK, said: “T-Mobile is fully committed to the introduction of Wi-Fi on trains, and is a natural and compelling extension of our Wi-Fi network as well as a complement to our existing GPRS and 3G services."

HotSpot will be offered as a free trial between early March and end of April on a limited number of trains, with a full-service mooted for early summer. The Wi-Fi service will also be available from March at 16 stations along the London to Brighton line, allowing travellers to surf the internet while waiting for their trains.