By the end of the year, seamless Wi-Fi access to the World Wide Web will operate in all buses, trams and trolleybuses of the city.
Single high speed free internet from October 11, passengers of the metro and surface will be able to use public transport. The seamless zone extends to the Moscow Metro, and also works in all buses, trams and trolleybuses. Thus, Europe's largest seamless Wi-Fi space in public transport has been created in the capital.
“Access to the network for passengers is provided throughout the entire journey, regardless of the number of transfers between the metro and surface transport. The formation of such a single space is an example of fruitful cooperation between business and the city, which is aimed at creating comfortable public transport in Moscow,” said the Deputy Mayor of Moscow, head of .
How to connect
To connect to free Wi-Fi both in the subway and in ground transport, you need to pass identification. Number needs to be confirmed mobile phone or log in through the public services portal. At the same time, users who have already been identified in WiFi networks, you don't have to do it again.
Every day, up to three million connections are made to Wi-Fi in the Moscow Metro, and 70 terabytes of traffic per day are transmitted through the network itself. Each train is connected to the network at a speed of up to 100 megabits per second - there is no such service in any city in the world. Internet access points are located in each car. Thus, more than five thousand wagons were equipped. 900 base stations and laid 880 kilometers of fiber optic cable.
Where does he work
Free Wi-Fi in the metropolitan terrestrial city passenger transport already used by more than one million unique users. In total, since the launch of the project, access to the network has been provided in 7250 buses, trolleybuses and trams of SUE Mosgortrans. Until the end of the year, the Internet will work in all rolling stock of the city.
You can also connect to Wi-Fi in Moscow at 450 ground transport stops. They are located near metro stations, bus stations, railway platforms and other objects popular with Muscovites.
The free wireless network in the Moscow Metro is recognized by the International Association of Operators wireless communication Wireless Broadband Alliance the world's best implementation WiFi technologies in urban space in 2015.
Today, February 1, the first buses with free Internet access took to the streets of the capital. The wireless network is available for passengers of semi-expresses No. 902 and 904, on the night bus No. H1 and route No. 1002 operating in New Moscow.
The presence of Wi-Fi in transport is indicated by special stickers placed in the cabin. You can connect to the Internet using any subscriber device. To do this, select Mosgortr ans_Free from the list of available Wi-Fi networks and go through SMS authorization. Subsequent connections will be made automatically. Internet speed - up to 10 megabits per second.
“Today, a major project has been launched in the capital, which is designed to make ground transport more attractive, and travel on it even more convenient and comfortable for citizens. Permanent access to the network will allow each passenger to spend time on the road with benefit - to chat with friends in in social networks, write letters for work, get the necessary information on the Internet. I would like to note that by the end of the year, Wi-Fi will cover all buses, trolleybuses and trams running daily on 800 Moscow routes,” said CEO State Unitary Enterprise "Mosgortrans" Evgeny Mikhailov.
Recall that last year, wireless Internet appeared at 450 stops of urban ground transport in Moscow. You can connect to the free Mosgortr ans_Free network at popular stopping points near metro stations, bus stations and railway platforms.
For reference
Until April 2016, the service will operate in test mode. For questions about the operation of Wi-Fi on the ground transport of Moscow, passengers can contact by phone hotline: 8-495-988-80-60.
The first routes with Internet access:
No. 902 "11th microdistrict. Solntsev ‒ Kyiv railway station»
No. 904 "4th microdistrict. Mitina ‒ Belorussky railway station»
No. 1002 "Metro" Troparevo "- Kyiv (settlement)"
No. H1 (night route) "Ozernaya Street - Sheremetyevo Airport".
For businesses with user identification: in cafes, restaurants, business and shopping malls. Today we will talk about how we build mobile Wi-Fi networks - that is, networks that do not have a permanent location. For example, Wi-Fi in public transport, which moves around the city throughout the day, taxis, at offsite business events, is also a convenient option for catering services. Our product is made in such a way that it does not matter to us which network the client needs: mobile or fixed. In any case, you get a full-fledged Wi-Fi zone with identification. So, again we pass the floor to Andrey Plavich, MTS Business Market Marketing and Product Manager.
We can build a Wi-Fi network on any mobile transport: whether it be buses, trolleybuses, trains, steamships and taxis. At the same time, the service is implemented in compliance with all legal requirements. In general, the operation of the network can be described in two steps: the router communicates with the base station, and the signal is forwarded to our identification platform. A more detailed diagram is in the figure below:
To connect the service, we use Enterprise-level (industrial) Wi-Fi routers. They can certainly be placed in dusty rooms, used in difficult temperature and vibration conditions. Such a router is powered by 220 Volts, 48 and 12, so we can easily integrate them into transport, where there is a standard 12-volt battery - now we are testing such a network in St. Petersburg. It should be noted that MTS equipment is provided as part of the service, the client does not bear additional costs for the purchase of equipment and does not experience difficulties with its configuration - all issues are resolved by MTS engineers.
We always do for our clients Personal Area with all client statistics. If you install a router in public transport, you can see how many users were in each trolleybus (bus or minibus), which users were in which trolleybuses and how often they move around the city, and which routes are the most popular. Having such information, the client can plan various marketing activities - the network has wide analytical capabilities.
The uniqueness of the mobile network lies in the fact that, in addition to transport, it is also useful for companies that organize meetings, seminars, negotiations and video conferences outside the offices. Of course, you can always “give out” your Internet to guests as an alternative, but, firstly, the list of invitees may be too large, and secondly, you will not fulfill the requirement of the law on user identification. That is, you are not immune from the fact that the visitors to your conference will not commit any illegal act using your network. With our Wi-Fi network with user identification, you can rest easy, all legal conditions will be met. Moreover, you will have all the statistics on the participants (who connected to the network) and their contacts, which will be a good help in future marketing activities.
Such a network can also be deployed at field events in nature. By placing several routers around the perimeter, we can organize a single network in several areas (at the request of the customer, we have the opportunity to separate zones - one for guests with identification, the other for employees with a single login and password). Although such a network may have limitations on bandwidth base stations outside settlements, because the signal is taken from ordinary base stations - 3G or LTE, but even in case of a weak signal - at the request of the client - we can strengthen it.
Bus route between St. Petersburg and Helsinki. Speed 100 km/h. Wi-Fi is available on board the bus (and even outside it). How does this happen?
To bookmarks
Technical and other details are disclosed by Igor Ivanov, service specialist of the Russian division of the international bus carrier Lux Express Group.
How is the Wi-Fi equipment on the bus?
This is a special device (you can call it a hub), which contains up to 8 SIM cards of operators of those countries in which our buses make their routes. The equipment is equipped with special modems - they are responsible for connecting with the desired telecom operator using antennas located on the roof of the bus.
But that's not all. Other devices are connected to the main hub, providing direct distribution of Wi-Fi in the passenger compartment of the bus. They operate on two frequencies 2.4 GHz/5 GHz in the main wireless standards. The same devices (access points) collect and analyze information about the quality of the connection or breaks that have occurred, monitor all connected devices, distribute the Internet connection to multimedia systems installed near each passenger seat.
The final connection speed always depends on the user's device, so the connection (or file download) speed can be very different between two people connected to the same Wi-Fi network.
Where is the main hub?
The location of the main hub differs depending on the bus model and the year it entered the line. As a rule, it is located at the beginning or middle part of the bus, but the essence or functionality of the devices practically does not depend on the location. The main thing when installing equipment is its privacy and the possibility of quick access for the driver or technician. Power is also needed for its various components. For example, due to the difference in batteries, the voltage supplied in minibuses (12 V) is different from that supplied in large cars for 54 passengers (24 V). And this also makes its own adjustments to the installation of Wi-Fi devices.
It's no secret that Wi-Fi doesn't work perfectly all the way. What factors can affect network connection interruptions?
These can be internal factors such as network failure or congestion, or external factors such as bad weather or service provider outages. You need to understand that when the bus moves, the operator’s base stations constantly change (their exact number is even difficult to name), and whether they all work equally well is another question. And, if we talk about really uninterrupted Internet on the bus, then you need a good telecom operator with a reliable signal along the entire route.
It is worth noting that over the past couple of years we have managed to ensure that passengers can watch videos and even live broadcasts. Previously, we had restrictions on data traffic. Now they are removed, and streaming is open. Now you can safely watch videos in applications such as Youtube or Facebook. And recently, according to our employees, on the Tallinn-Petersburg route, some passengers watched a football match between Russia and Spain online.
The passengers of this bus watched the victorious football match between Russia and Spain. The funny thing is that the country of manufacture of the bus is just Spain.
If all 54 passengers connect to the network, how will the equipment react? Is it designed for such a load?
Yes, we select exactly such equipment, which is designed for such a load. Although with 54 passengers on the network, the connection speed may slow down, especially if the transfer of "heavy" data begins. In this case, a lot depends on the telecom operator and the strength of the signal from its network. I can say for sure that in the city limits in the “everything is online” situation, there will be no problems, while outside the city you will notice a drop in speed. At the same time, we rely on the reasonableness of our passengers regarding the use of traffic volume.
Are there any weaknesses in the passenger compartment where the passenger's network connection is not ideal?
There is no such place on the bus, most often problems arise from mobile devices when trying to connect. For example, it may not see the network, or give a connection error - in such cases, restarting the user's device or Internet equipment on the bus helps, in extreme cases, changing the Internet access device, such as a tablet or laptop instead of a phone.
What is the coverage area of the Wi-Fi from the bus?
For open space technical specifications equipment, the maximum communication range is set to 122 meters. Of course, this value cannot be applied to our buses, but within a radius of 10 meters from the bus, you can definitely connect to the network. For example, often on the border between Russia and other countries, drivers of other buses or cars use this opportunity.
For the first half of this year, more than 10 terabytes of Internet traffic were used in our buses in Russia
Igor Ivanov
Are there any specifics in the operation of Wi-Fi in different countries? Or when moving at the border from the territory of one country to another?
The equipment switches automatically between telecom operators of different countries - up to three different operators can work simultaneously.
As for the border, for example, the Estonian and Russian operators can work together as long as the bus is within the coverage area of these networks. If for some reason, when crossing the border, switching to another network did not happen automatically, then the driver simply needs to restart the device.
What more progress can be made in the development of Wi-Fi on board the bus?
We look forward to the development of 5G networks, but, unfortunately, this does not depend on us. In principle, we try as much as possible to follow the latest technologies in this matter. Concerning wireless internet, then probably the best progress in development will be if each user gets what he expected from Wi-Fi and remains satisfied with its use. And it will be important for us if, while watching movies, reading or working processes, the passenger does not notice the time it takes to travel from one city to another. That is, he will feel teleportation.
From October 11, passengers of the metro and ground public transport will be able to use a single high-speed free Internet. The seamless zone extends to the Moscow Metro, and also works in all buses, trams and trolleybuses. Thus, Europe's largest seamless Wi-Fi space in public transport has been created in the capital.
“Access to the network for passengers is provided throughout the entire journey, regardless of the number of transfers between the metro and surface transport. The formation of such a single space is an example of fruitful cooperation between business and the city, which is aimed at creating comfortable public transport in Moscow,” said Deputy Moscow Mayor, Head of the Moscow Department of Transport and Road Infrastructure Development Maxim Liksutov.
How to connect
To connect to free Wi-Fi both in the subway and in ground transport, you need to pass identification. You need to confirm your mobile phone number or log in through the public services portal. At the same time, users who have already been identified in the Wi-Fi network will not have to do this again.
Every day, up to three million connections are made to Wi-Fi in the Moscow Metro, and 70 terabytes of traffic per day are transmitted through the network itself. Each train is connected to the network at a speed of up to 100 megabits per second - there is no such service in any city in the world. Internet access points are located in each carriage. Thus, more than five thousand wagons were equipped. 900 base stations have been installed in the subway tunnels and 880 kilometers of fiber optic cable have been laid.
Where does he work
More than one million unique users already use free Wi-Fi in the capital's ground public transport. In total, since the launch of the project, access to the network has been provided in 7250 buses, trolleybuses and trams of SUE Mosgortrans. Until the end of the year, the Internet will work in all rolling stock of the city.
You can also connect to Wi-Fi in Moscow at 450 ground transport stops. They are located near metro stations, bus stations, railway platforms and other objects popular with Muscovites.
The free wireless network in the Moscow Metro was recognized by the International Association of Wireless Operators Wireless Broadband Alliance as the world's best implementation of Wi-Fi technology in urban space in 2015.
