Imagine you’re on the train watching a series. The train is moving across the Netherlands at 130 kilometres per hour – and therefore your mobile phone too. To ensure the series keeps playing smoothly, your phone is constantly searching for transmitter masts nearby. Each mast has a range of a few kilometres and guides your phone to the edge of its transmission area. When you leave the transmission area, it transfers you to the next mast, an invisible relay that ensures you can keep streaming.
Connected everywhere
“At present, it’s a piece of cake to ensure one passenger has a stable connection," says André Beijen, Director of Mobile Networks at VodafoneZiggo. “However, with a packed train that demands a lot from our transmitter masts. Moreover, we are seeing an annual increase in network of about 30 per cent - a substantial increase. As many of our customers regularly travel by train, we believe it’s important to enhance mobile coverage along railway lines. We are constantly working on this to continue offering our customers the best experience on trains."
Improving 69 train routes
Over the next three years, VodafoneZiggo will be enhancing mobile coverage along 69 train routes. This task sounds easier than it is. "We can't just put extra masts along the track," André explains. "Therefore, we are looking for other suitable locations. We also place antennas on existing masts near the tracks and are further optimising the network settings, so the transmitter masts work together even more efficiently and quickly."
Sprint on the track
Improving mobile coverage along the railway has long been a desire for VodafoneZiggo. A plan was already in place before the coronavirus crisis hit. "But when everyone suddenly had to work from home due to lockdowns, we swiftly adapted this plan. To ensure everyone could work and meet online at the same time, we prioritised investing in the radio coverage of residential areas as soon as possible. Fortunately, the coronavirus crisis is now behind us. And now that commuting is back in full swing, VodafoneZiggo is making a sprint on the railway."
