NS: use of Wi-Fi in the train has doubled after speed increase

The use of WiFi in the train has doubled since NS increased the speed from 300Kbit/s to 450Kbit/s last September. That’s what the carrier claims. Travelers remain predominantly negative about the service, the train company says.

The NS does not publish figures about how much data traffic it processes via its own WiFi connections. It does say it saw the doubling quickly after the speed increase in September, Telecompaper writes. Despite the increase in speed, watching videos via the WiFi connection is impossible, according to the NS. Streaming music, e-mailing and browsing is possible via the connection.

Partly because of this restriction, many travelers remain negative about the service. “That can partly be explained by the fact that people expect the same quality in the train as at home,” an NS spokesperson told Telecompaper. “Our commitment is to ensure that people can work on the train, with browsing, e-mail and use of social media. Unfortunately, the use of video is not possible, because we have to divide the connection among travelers.”

The carrier says it will continue to offer the service and does not plan to charge any money. This is in line with the plans presented by NS in 2014. The NS has been offering free Wi-Fi in the train since 2010. The internet connection now runs via a 4G router in the train. It should offer more speed and better coverage than the 3G router that was to be found in trains until some time ago.