Press Releases 2022-09-08
September 8, 2022
A new report highlights the future role of connectivity in passenger transportation, as in-flight Wi-Fi usage surpasses pre-pandemic levels
• Icomera, a specialist in mobile connectivity, reports that the number of rail passengers connecting to its onboard Wi-Fi services has never been higher, reaching 134% of pre-pandemic levels
• Travel habits are also changing, with weekend trips now accounting for a higher percentage of weekly Wi-Fi sessions (25%) than during the same period in 2019 (21%)
• A new 48-page industry report titled “The Connected Journey Through Transport’s Transformative Decade” includes this data, among other findings.
Icomera, a specialist in mobile connectivity, and a subsidiary of EQUANS, a global leader in multi-technology services, has published a new report highlighting the trends and challenges shaping the future of passenger transportation, as well as the role connectivity will play in achieving the sector’s key objectives.
Thanks to its core competency—providing fast and reliable wireless connections to moving vehicles— Icomera is now seeing record levels of Wi-Fi usage among train passengers (134% of pre-pandemic levels) as both new and returning travelers seek to use their commute time more effectively, allowing it to contribute to their day rather than disrupt it.
The report examines the factors that will influence how we travel over the next decade, whether they be pandemics, global conflicts, climate change, aging populations, or the blurring of boundaries between the physical and digital worlds.
“The future of transportation will not develop in isolation. It will be important to understand the interaction between all areas of modern, connected, and smart life as it evolves,” says Paul Barnes, Chief Marketing Officer at Icomera.
Based on data and information gathered from transportation authorities, operators, and technology companies around the world, the report asserts that the transportation sector must pursue three objectives simultaneously to attract passengers in a post-pandemic world and meet the increased demand resulting from society’s shift toward sustainable and eco-friendly mobility:
- Address the evolving needs of people who travel for business or personal reasons, regardless of their age or disability.
- Provide a safe environment that minimizes the spread of viruses and protects against physical or online threats to people and infrastructure at large.
- Achieving the above in a cost-effective and resilient manner, which also enables the sector to adapt to rapidly changing environmental, societal, and economic needs.
As a digital partner to many of the world’s leading transportation organizations, Icomera has supported various innovation trials and technology upgrade programs throughout the pandemic to keep pace with society’s evolving approach to travel.
While passenger Wi-Fi has historically been the first “in-flight Internet” service, the report also examines the potential of other connected applications, based on actual deployments over the past 24 months. Examples cited include:
- Personalized trip information, provided in digital formats accessible to people with hearing or visual impairments, to enable them to travel independently.
- Real-time monitoring of vehicle occupancy rates using cameras equipped with artificial intelligence software, making it easier for passengers to choose less crowded vehicles and enabling operators to incorporate this information into their fleet and staffing planning.
- Remote, on-demand access to data from onboard sensors that measure the condition of infrastructure along a route, supported by a “predictive and preventive” maintenance strategy.
“ Today, we’re connecting more passengers to in-flight Wi-Fi than ever before, but we’re only offering them a glimpse of the many services the industry will make available to them in the coming years. The technologies and strategies underpinning the future of travel share a common emphasis on the importance of—and reliance on—access to real-time or on-demand information for all parties, which restores trust throughout the journey, optimizes travel time for passengers, and improves profitability for operators. With a growing number of in-vehicle devices or systems requiring connectivity, the increasing value of the data they generate, and the growing importance of its timely availability, it is essential to ensure the reliable and secure transmission of the data that all these systems generate and use, to and from the moving vehicle. ”
Download the industry report from the Icomera website.