Internet connection and multimedia services at 320km/h in
the TGV Est

The service will remain in the commercial validation phase
on three trainsets on the TGV Est line until March 2008. This
will enable SNCF to confirm the appropriateness of the content
offered and the business model for this new service.


During this phase, free connection will be offered in 1st and
2nd class, allowing passengers to access multimedia content and
the Internet via an SNCF portal. The portal will give them
access to entertainment, tourism information and also
information connected with the trains journey.



Transport Life Services is in charge of supplying and
installing the on-board WiFi network and servers that will host
the services and the connectivity functions.


Taken from Alstoms AGATE e-media passenger information
system range, the equipment consists principally of:


- the supporting structure for the roof-mounted satellite
antenna,


- the bay and the servers it will house,


- the user access points, which will enable passengers to
connect from their seats.



Developed over the course of 10 months for SNCF by the TIS*
centre of excellence in Montreal, the on-board network has
three main advantages:



- Availability and reliability: operational availability of the
on-board infrastructure is based on the redundancy of equipment
and on its ability to operate where conditions are less than
optimum. System reliability is ensured through products that
have proven their worth in other communication systems and
equipment adapted to operate in a railway environment.


- European approval: the WiFi systems and equipment on the TGV
Est line meet European standards, thus allowing trains equipped
with them to operate on networks throughout the European Union.


- Future-proof architecture: the equipment architecture must
allow for evolution towards a wired solution, so as to be able,
if required, to enhance overall service performance.
Connections between coaches, currently handled using wireless
bridges, could thus evolve towards a cabled Ethernet network.



Orange Business Services is overall manager of the project.
Capgemini will be producing, developing and maintaining the
on-board portal. Eutelsat will be supplying the satellite
network. The antennae installed on the trains roofs have
been specifically developed to comply with the constraints of
high speed rail transport.



* TIS: Transport Information Solutions