Improving the Passenger Experience Find out more about: Icomera’s industry-leading Passenger Wi-Fi techonology, Onboard Entertainment & Real-time Information Solutions
Rising Demands for Data and Service Digitalisation is having a significant impact on the way we travel. As expectations continue to rise, so does the demand for transport operators to provide exciting new services for their passengers, of which reliable onboard Wi-Fi is one of the most sought-after. Having Internet connectivity on the move is no longer seen as a luxury amenity for passengers, but a necessary service that operators must offer to remain competitive. Whether it’s browsing websites, shopping online, searching for information, or connecting with others, people increasingly rely on the Internet for both their work and social life. The latest figures from the Ericsson Mobility Report show global mobile data consumption has increased by 50 percent between Q3 2019 and Q3 2020, presenting a continuous year-on-year increase in the demand for data since 2013¹.
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The opportunity to increase productivity while traveling is making public transport usage more attractive for both business and leisure travelers. With the ability to send emails, make conference calls, and research information for business tasks, commuters can continue to work beyond the confines of their office. Leisure passengers can communicate with friends and family via social media, shop online, catch up with the latest news, or even learn a new language. Many travelers are also using their commute to carry out digital chores such as paying bills, renewing insurance policies, and searching for new properties or jobs. ¹Ericsson, 2020, p. 12 Ericsson Mobility Report. Available at: https://www.ericsson.com/en/mobility-report/reports/november-2020
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Stay Online Throughout the Journey Onboard multi-SIM Wi-Fi solutions will always offer a more reliable Internet experience compared to passengers having to rely on their own smart device’s cellular network connection. One reason for this is that passengers’ devices usually rely on a single network’s coverage. Not all networks will be able to guarantee comprehensive coverage along every route, which is why it’s advantageous to use an onboard Internet solution that can intelligently aggregate signals from multiple cellular data networks. Moreover, while many phones have 3G/4G cellular data capability built-in, relying on direct connections to cell towers provides unreliable connections, increasing passenger frustration at not being able to stay connected. Being ahead of the curve in this respect can be a big competitive advantage for operators over other forms of transport; especially on longer-distance routes where services like Wi-Fi can win over passengers from competing operators or modes of transport.
Icomera’s in-vehicle routers utilise patented software for combining multiple networks to provide the fastest, most reliable connection available for passengers. Our clients have publicly reported increased ridership and revenue and attributed these to the improved passenger experience on offer. Another advantage of using an onboard Wi-Fi solution is the ability to manage your passengers’ experience so that everyone can enjoy using the service. Icomera supports operators with a powerful, web-based management system which provides Wi-Fi user authentication, content filtering and bandwidth statistics reporting, backed by a 24/7 Network Operation Centre (NOC). 2
Entertainment on the Go Providing a Premium Passenger Experience for All
Keeping passengers entertained and productive throughout their journey is one of the easiest ways to protect and improve the onboard experience. Partnering with industry-leading media specialists, Icomera offers a range of affordable entertainment solutions. Passengers are able to watch Hollywood movies and popular TV shows, play games, read bestselling eBooks popular magazines, and local and international news feeds. And the bonus? All this content is delivered via the onboard Wi-Fi hotspot directly to passengers’ own smart devices, whether it's a smartphone, tablet or laptop - so there’s no need for passengers to download an app and no need for operators to install or maintain seat-back screens. Content is offered in a range of pre-selected or tailored packages to meet specific business requirements. Icomera’s media partners take responsibility for ensuring all media content is properly licensed for use by its respective owners. An exciting development is the extent to which analytics can now also be used to curate and improve the passenger experience. Depending on their journey, different passengers will want different types of entertainment and news. By analyzing usage data, it’s possible to see what types of content users are looking at and use this to customize the travel experience. A tourist on a longer journey may well be more interested in streaming media content, while a business traveler on a short morning commute may be more likely to want quick access to up-tothe-minute news. An entertainment service can only be successful if its content is kept up-to-date, otherwise regular passengers will quickly become bored. Our infotainment solutions can be managed by the operator, or their chosen third-party media supplier, using our cloud-based content management system. This means that the content offered to passengers can easily be updated regularly and remotely. Content updates can be sent to all vehicles in the fleet with the single click of a button.
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Keep Passengers Informed Adding Value to Every Journey
Digital journeys of the future will be always-online personal experiences based on mobility-as-a-service applications. Icomera’s real-time passenger information module can be integrated with any RTI system that has an API, automatically providing passengers with updates and notifications about their journey. Implementing real-time information can be used to help improve customer service. When delays happen, operators can turn a negative experience into a positive one by providing passengers with coupons for complimentary coffee, free movies for those stuck on a broken-down vehicle, or an automatic refund to passengers before they even leave the vehicle. Adding real-time connectivity to other traditional transport systems such as passenger information or passenger counting solutions creates new possibilities to add value to the customer journey by, for example, telling them the location of unoccupied seats.
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Get in Touch Today…
At Icomera, we work in partnership with clients to build long-term relationships. We listen to your needs and advise you on the solutions that fit your requirements, with room to grow in the future. We are with you through the installation process and over the entirety of a solution’s service life. We can point to our proven track record of successful projects, providing relevant case studies on request.
To find out more about how we can help you, contact sales@icomera.com today
About Icomera Icomera is the world’s leading provider of integrated connectivity solutions for trains, trams, buses and coaches, serving millions of passengers and tens of thousands of onboard systems on a daily basis. We deliver the fastest, most reliable and secure Internet connection available to a moving vehicle, supporting a wide range of digital applications which increase passenger satisfaction, enhance operational efficiency, and improve safety and security. Our solutions make transport more attractive for passengers and part of a smarter, safer, greener future for everyone, accelerating the transition towards a carbon-neutral world. 6
ICOMERA Odinsgatan 28, 411 03 Göteborg, Sweden T +46 31 799 21 00 sales@icomera.com