Two More Train Operators Look to the Skies for WiFi Salvation

South Western Railway in the UK and privately-owned NTV Italo in Italy are the latest companies to sign up with SpaceX’s Starlink satellite service in a bid to bridge coverage gaps along their train routes. However, whilst the UK operator has begun a trial of the service on one train, NTV Italo is planning a full fleet-wide launch in May of this year.

Meanwhile, not to be outdone, rival LEO satellite operators Hughes, Eutelsat and Amazon are about to launch new service offerings into this space.

British train company SWR says it is currently trialling the Starlink satellite service on a Class 444 train operating between London Waterloo, Portsmouth Harbour and Weymouth. It recently reported that early testing has shown a 97% coverage rate across the route, including a notorious blackspot of 20 minutes in the New Forest area.

The trial is due to run for 12 months to December 2026 and SWR is keen to point out that satellite is only one part of its wider onboard connectivity strategy. The new system will build on SWR’s Rail-5G deployment between Earlsfield and Basingstoke, which uses trackside antenna technology to boost connection speeds and has been underway since May 2025.

Meanwhile, according to the Corriere della Sera newspaper, NTV Italo has announced that it plans to start using Starlink satellite connections from May 2026. The paper claims that within a year, all Italo trains will be equipped with Starlink antennas. The train operator says that this will lead to a 60% increase in connection speeds and more efficient and rapid response times.

At the same time NTV Italo is working with Nomad Digital to address 5G connectivity issues on its busiest route – Rome – Milan. The train company admits that this section is the most prone to signal interruption due to the terrain and number of tunnels.

NTV Italo says that the improvements will “guarantee a 460% increase in download speeds compared to today and a 163% increase in upload speeds, with a reduction of almost 80% in web page loading times.” In addition, it says its onboard portal will be completely redesigned, becoming multilingual and offering films, TV series, newspapers, magazines, and podcasts.

The Italian train company’s fleet currently consists of 51 Avelia Stream trains each of seven carriages with a capacity of 518 seats and a maximum speed of 300Kmh. A further twelve trains are due to arrive by the second half of 2027.

The spread of on-board WiFi services, trackside wireless delivery and the increasing use of LEO satellites to boost connectivity will all be fully discussed at the 2026 WiFi on Trains Conference, hosted by BWCS in London (www.Traincomms.com ).

The Main Sponsors for Traincomms 2026 are Icomera, Huber+Suhner and Nomad Digital. Westermo, CGI and Unwired are also Sponsoring the Conference.

This year, BWCS is offering the first 20 Traincomms tickets at a discounted rate (10% off - once they are gone, they are gone). So, if you are planning to attend and would like to reserve one or more entrance passes at the reduced rate, please contact BWCS ASAP (we currently have 9 left). 

Alternatively, you can use the booking form at http://traincomms.com/book1.cfm and we will invoice you at the discounted rate.

For more information on attending next year’s Conference please contact [email protected]