PKP Intercity, the Polish national railway carrier, has launched mobile network amplifiers in 300 carriages, which will significantly improve mobile phone signals. By the end of the year, the company intends to launch amplifiers in 554 carriages. Increasing the comfort of train travel is one of the pillars of PKP Intercity’s activities.

“For years, we have heard that PKP Intercity trains travel in areas where coverage leaves much to be desired. We are aware that nowadays access to mobile telephony or the Internet is crucial for many people, including our travellers. We have therefore decided to install mobile network amplifiers, which will make rail travel in Poland even more comfortable”, says the company’s Vice-President, Tomasz Gontarz.

PKP Intercity is the first carrier to launch mobile amplifiers, which in industry nomenclature are called repeaters, in cooperation with the largest Polish operators and with their consent.

Thanks to the cooperation of the national carrier with mobile phone operators such as Orange Polska, Play, Polkomtel (Plus network) and T-Mobile Polska, passengers can enjoy better mobile phone coverage on trains, making it easier to use mobile devices for work and to relax during the journey.

Mobile amplifiers, unlike fixed amplifiers, require a much more complex configuration. Their specification must allow the signal amplification functionality to be switched off when the carriage crosses the Polish border, among other things. Therefore, configuration and operational tests were a complex process faced by PKP Intercity’s technical staff, as well as cooperating entities, namely Ledatel and PKP Telkol, and mobile network operators.

Arkadiusz Słomczyński