telecoms

HS2 to deliver seamless mobile connectivity

“I’m going into a tunnel, so I might lose you” likely to be thing of the past on Britain’s new high speed rail network Passengers using Britain’s new high speed rail network will enjoy seamless mobile coverage delivering uninterrupted streaming and calls as trains speed through its tunnels, cuttings and open

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BDC 321 : Oct 2024

telecoms

HS2 to deliver seamless mobile connectivity

“I’m going into a tunnel, so I might lose you” likely to be thing of the past on Britain’s new high speed rail network Passengers using Britain’s new high speed rail network will enjoy seamless mobile coverage delivering uninterrupted streaming and calls as trains speed through its tunnels, cuttings and open sections. Journeys on HS2 will make the days of hearing refrains familiar to many who travel by train today, such as, “I’m going into a tunnel, so I might lose you” a thing of the past. To watch movies, get facetime with friends, family or work, or just make calls, passengers can simply link their device with the train’s onboard Wi-Fi. From its earliest days of development, HS2’s infrastructure has been designed to include technology that provides seamless and uninterrupted passenger comms. In a step-change from the line-side railway signalling operated on the conventional network, HS2’s will be radio based. A sequence of masts sited at 2-3km along the route and radio feeder cables running the length of its tunnels. This infrastructure has been developed to also deliver mobile connectivity for passengers. Both will be picked up by each train’s radio antenna as it traverses the new route at speeds of up to 225mph. The train’s onboard equipment will transmit the passenger signal throughout the train to help ensure a seamless connection. People using HS2 stations will also benefit from the same level of coverage. HS2 engineers believe that the train picking up the signal from the railway’s telecoms infrastructure is superior to just leaving it to passengers’ own mobiles and tablets to link with each passing mast, which could be prone to occasional drop outs, and also reduces bandwidth. HS2’s head of project delivery for communication systems Richard Kirkham said: “The massive advantage of taking a clean sheet of paper and developing a new railway network for the 21st century, to operate in the twenty first century, is that we can build in the things people expect, like modern telecoms. “In practice that means HS2 tunnels, open route sections, stations and trains all include telecoms in their design specification, which enables the railway to operate as a single system.” Richard also explained how HS2’s design has been developed to provide flexibility to support the full generational range of mobile technologies. “To accommodate fast moving mobile telecoms technology, we’ve designed HS2 to be flexible so that it can incorporate future generations as well as supporting earlier generations people will continue to use.” A further benefit of HS2’s designers’ far-sighted approach will see the benefits of improved passenger connectivity potentially extend to areas along the route. That is because anyone’s device that can pick up the signal can use it.     

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Carrier Billing Spend to Reach $73.8 Billion Globally by 2024, as 5G Networks Increase Content Consumption

Growth of 36% between 2021 and 2024 A new Juniper Research study has predicted that end user spend via carrier billing will increase to $73.8 billion in 2024, from $54.4 billion in 2021, with growth driven by 5G-based mobile gaming and video subscriptions. To leverage this growth, the report advises operators to forge new partnerships with content providers to build frameworks enabling the distribution of new content paid for by carrier billing. The new report, Carrier Billing: Opportunities, Challenges & Market Forecasts 2022-2026, also expects carrier billing spend on content bundling to enable operators to further recoup investments into 5G by charging a premium to facilitate high-quality video and games streaming over 5G networks. To maximise this opportunity, it urges operators to offer payment services in markets underserved by existing digital payment methods to maximise carrier billing spend. For more insights, download the free whitepaper: Carrier Billing ~ Leveraging the 5G Opportunity Indian Subcontinent Identified as Key Opportunity Operators must expand the geographical reach of carrier billing; leveraging the trust fostered between them and their subscribers, and becoming increasingly valuable partners to content providers. It identified the Indian Subcontinent as a key target region for carrier billing stakeholders over the next two years, with smartphone penetration in the region expected to reach 50% by 2024. New Opportunities in the Transit Sector The research also found carrier billing spend on digital ticket purchases will grow by 250%, from $141 billion in 2021 to $275 billion in 2024. It predicts that the rise of new transportation modes, such as MaaS (Mobility-as-a-Service) will drive carrier billing spend for transit services by offering an improved user experience across a single app that leverages carrier billing to process the payment. Additionally, RCS (Rich Communication Services) messaging will provide an interface between MaaS users and transit service providers; offering real-time travel updates. Research author Susannah Hampton says: “Operators should focus on demonstrating their relevance to transit; driving the further growth of carrier billing via an improved range of technology partnerships.”

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