PR releases

T-Mobile Wi-Fi HotSpot Service Goes Live on the Heathrow Express

Heathrow Express and T-Mobile offer seamless Wi-Fi connection between London and Heathrow Airport
Service provides broadband internet access even in the tunnel section
Extends T-Mobile’s existing Wi-Fi offering in Central London and at Heathrow Airport

24 April 2007, London: T-Mobile today announces that its Wi-Fi HotSpot service is now available on all Heathrow Express trains, enabling internet and email access for the 15,000 passengers that use the service daily.

The Wi-Fi HotSpot service, supported by a wireless mobile network designed and installed by Nomad Digital, will provide passengers with a typical broadband connection speed of 2 Mbps throughout the entire journey, including a 6KM tunnel. Customers are able to purchase Wi-Fi HotSpot access passes on the trains themselves and can continue using the service at other T-Mobile HotSpots when they arrive at Heathrow Airport, or at Central London locations such as Starbucks coffee shops, Borders bookstores and select hotels.

The new Wi-Fi HotSpot service will enable customers aboard the Heathrow Express to make more effective use of their time The HotSpot service will give business travellers the ability to read their emails, respond to client requests, email a presentation or get hold of the latest sales figures during the short time they have travelling to and from meetings.

Brian Raven, Managing Director at Heathrow Express says: ”We are constantly looking for innovative and useful services for our customers, and the addition of T-Mobile HotSpots further improves the experience we offer and illustrates why we’ve been voted the nation’s favourite train company. Delivering outstanding customer service is what our customers expect, and giving our time-sensitive travellers the choice to be connected throughout the 15 minute trip to or from the airport is an excellent example of how Heathrow Express stays one step ahead of competitors.”

“We are delighted to be able to offer our Wi-Fi HotSpot service to passengers on the Heathrow Express,” says Richard Warmsley, Head of Internet on the Move, T-Mobile UK. “The service will help passengers make good use of their valuable time; catching-up with those last minute emails, Googling that pre-meeting research, checking that their flight is on time, or even watching the goal they missed while they were in the air. This is what T-Mobile is all about - giving our customers access to the information that matters to them, to manage both their business and personal lives wherever they are.”

Nigel Wallbridge, chairman and co-founder, Nomad Digital adds: “This is not only a significant enhancement to Heathrow Express passengers but it is also a technology breakthrough. For the first time ever, the Wi-Fi service offered to passengers on the Heathrow Express trains will utilise WiMAX technology underground, thus creating a seamless and uninterrupted internet connection throughout the journey between Paddington and Heathrow Airport.”

The agreement to roll out the T-Mobile HotSpot service on all Heathrow Express trains was announced in November 2006. Since then, T-Mobile’s solution partner, Nomad Digital, has embarked on an extensive installation and testing programme for the service.

About T-Mobile UK

T-Mobile is one of the world’s largest mobile operators with more than 91 million customers worldwide and in the UK it is the network of choice for approaching 17 million customers, making it one of the largest networks.

T-Mobile has a range of innovative products and services such as Flext, a unique tariff with flexible pricing; U-Fix, a tariff that combines pay-as-you-go and a monthly contract and Web'n'Walk, which enables customers to surf websites on the move. T-Mobile's network coverage is among the best in the UK (over 99% of the UK population) with one of the lowest dropped call rates. It offers the largest worldwide Wi-Fi network, with over 1,000 HotSpots in business-friendly locations in the UK and 21,000 worldwide, and offers the fastest 3G network across the UK with speeds of up to 1.8mb per second.

For more information about T-Mobile UK, please visit www.t-mobile.co.uk