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Fastest WiFi for the fastest trains in the Czech Republic

24.5.2022 | 1814

After 10 years of operation, the connectivity infrastructure onboard the Czech Railways' Pendolino trains required some hardware upgrades.

The original hardware could not keep up with the ever-increasing demand from passengers and the more powerful and feature-packed infotainment solution from Passengera. After a successful several years experience with Passengera G7 gateway running on some other Czech Railways fleet, the Czech Railways ordered an upgrade for all their Pendolino units to take the passengers’ digital experience another step further.

About the client

Czech Railways have been the solid bone of national and international passenger transportation of the Czech Republic for over 100 years. Founded in 1918 in Czechoslovakia, and the biggest local employer until 2008, Czech Railways is a strong player in the national transportation market.

 

Since 2012, Passengera has been delivering infotainment, connectivity, PIS and additional digital services for part of their fleet. 

The challenges of aging hardware

The hardware setup started to lose its breath throughout the years with the swift development of new services and an increasing number of passengers connecting to the internet onboard. Over this time, Passengera has added a number of services, including:

  • Wi-Fi authentication

  • Infotainment module

  • E-commerce module for food ordering

  • Advertising module

  • Extended multimedia library

  • Dynamic CMS-managed content

  • 16 PIS displays connected

Despite the thorough optimization of Passengera’s platform and a minor software update in 2018, the old hardware configuration couldn’t keep up with the amount of data transferred and the number of users connected. The hardware upgrade was necessary to prevent accessibility issues during the peak times and provide the operator with enough computing power for the future introduction of new services.

The Solution

Passengera has suggested a centralised gateway upgrade to the Czech Railways to improve the experience of their customers. The previous hardware infrastructure was replaced with Passengera G7 hardware based on ITA-5831 (produced in close cooperation with Passengera’s technological partner Advantech).

 

What is the configuration of the new Passengera G7:

 

  • 8 GB RAM

  • 521 GB SSD

  • Intel i5 CPU

  • 3× LTE-A Cat11 modems

  • SIM Multiplexing technology supporting up to 12 cards

  • Upgradeable hard drive and RAM, support of 5G modems or additional Wi-Fi in the depot



With the brand new hardware, new Connectivity SW has come as well. Thanks to the complex Channel Aggregation and Load Balancing technology, the whole system reaches much faster responses. Even in peak times, one Passengera G7 gateway offers all abovementioned services for all 333 passengers on board and their staff.

 

A single multiservice gateway runs a wide range of services: 

  • authenticates users

  • provides internet connectivity

  • hosts an infotainment application

  • manage a PIS controller for multimedia screens

  • run an e-commerce module for food ordering from the seat

  • process telemetry data.

 

These services would normally require several components, so the adoption of the new Passengera G7 offers significant savings as a single device can host all the apps.

 

The client also requested addition of Pendolino trains to the central control system used for other lines. With Passengera’s Management & Monitoring Suite (MMS), Passengera G7 connected to these systems smoothly, so the operator can benefit from advantages of centralization.

Results


After 10 years of delivering a superb digital experience to passengers on their way through the Czech Republic with digital solutions, Passengera now made another step further by providing the operator with the new modern hardware, which can ensure smooth connectivity and an undisturbed journey for all passengers at all times. New Passengera G7 gateways offer enough computing power and flexibility for future addition of new services.


The long-term cooperation with Czech Railways and continuous improvements of Passengera solution onboard its flagship Pendolino trains and 90 Eurocity and Intercity trains confirm that the largest Czech operator also believes in the digital future of public transport.