UK: Reading Transport To Offer Free Passenger Wi-Fi

Reading Transport has selected the Moovbox M Series mobile broadband gateway to deliver free Wi-Fi Internet access for passengers on commuter buses operating in the heart of the Thames Valley technology corridor. The deployment, encompassing multiple vehicles, serves commuters traveling between Reading town centre and rail terminus to the Thames Valley Park at the east of the town, and UK headquarters of major international corporations including Microsoft, Silicon Graphics, and Oracle."We carry hundreds of commuters a day between central Reading and the thriving business community at Thames Valley Park," said Norman Fryer-Saxby, commercial manager at Reading Transport. "We were looking for ways to enhance our service so that passengers could make the most of their travel time, and Internet access was a natural choice for us. Moovera's Moovbox has proven to be a cost-effective and technically reliable solution and we've been delighted with the positive response from our customers."

The Wi-Fi-enabled Thames Valley Park (TVP) buses run every ten minutes during peak periods including morning and evening commutes. Reading Transport, wholly owned by the local authority Reading Borough Council, has selected Vodafone UK as the mobile data service provider for the deployment, taking advantage of Vodafone's next generation 3G network that utilizes HSDPA (High Speed Download Packet Access) for download speeds up to 3.6Mbps.

"Commuter routes are ideal for in-vehicle Wi-Fi services," said Jim Baker, Moovera CEO and founder. "With an increasing number of hand-held devices such as mobile phones and PDAs having Wi-Fi built-in, accessing the Internet to check your email, surf the web or update your blog is now easier than ever before. With free Wi-Fi access on the bus, TVP passengers in Reading can now make the most of their journey time to and from the office - at no cost to them. This really does represent another step towards the future of public transportation."

The Moovbox M Series mobile broadband gateway provides a bridge between Wi-Fi access and carrier networks including 3G UMTS/HSPA, WiMAX and TD-CDMA and features built-in GPS. Moovbox also offers secure Ethernet for in-vehicle systems such as IP-CCTV, DVR and telematics equipment. Using the Moovbox gateway, fleet operators have remote in-bound access to their vehicles' systems while in motion. Furthermore, the Moovbox management suite provides real-time vehicle tracking, remote device configuration, and Wi-Fi usage statistics.