The expansion took almost three years, and now the last of the 237 vehicles on the Munich S-Bahn that have been equipped with WiFi is going into operation. Commuters can register with the DB network while driving with just a few clicks, use is free of charge – only 36 older trains remain offline for the time being.
In most cases, especially on longer journeys, commuters should now be able to throttle their use of mobile data and avoid possible holes in the mobile network. Deutsche Bahn promises Internet even where there is little or no cell phone reception. The routers receive the networks of the three largest mobile phone providers – Telekom, Vodafone and O2 in parallel – to avoid dead spots.
External antennas bundle the data signals from all mobile phone providers for the WLAN on the train, so-called access points serve to amplify the signal. In order to adequately equip all vehicles, Deutsche Bahn laid more than 65,000 meters of cable and installed 474 antennas. There is now also free WiFi at some S-Bahn stations in Munich, for example in Pasing and at the main and east train stations. “Around two million logins per month show how important this service is to our customers,” says S-Bahn boss Heiko Büttner.
In most MVG vehicles, on the other hand, passengers have to do without WiFi. Routers were only installed in 25 of 400 buses as a test, and there is no WiFi in the subways and trams. There are free access points at 69 of the 174 tram stops. That shouldn’t change for the time being. MVG is not planning any WiFi expansion, as the city council wants to focus on expanding the 5G mobile network in the subway and at tram stops instead.
The Bavarian Regiobahn (BRB), on the other hand, has equipped some trains with internet. According to a spokeswoman, this has so far only been fully developed in the vehicles in the Oberland, in the direction of Bayrischzell, Lenggries and Tegernsee. On the routes Chiemgau-Inntal, i.e. on trains that go to Salzburg or Kufstein, for example, the BRB wants to install routers in the course of this year and next. For the Ammersee-Altmühltal and Ostallgäu-Lechfeld routes, there have not yet been any WiFi plans because the financing from the Bavarian Railway Company is not secured, according to the BRB. The fact that not all vehicles are equipped with the Internet is also due to dead spots. “Where there are no mobile phone signals outside the vehicles, the WLAN cannot pass on an Internet connection inside the train either.”