British Government Backs On-Board Connectivity Following Major Trials

Wednesday 27 May 2026

Train WiFi in the UK is set to receive a major boost following soon to be announced government plans. Over 1,400 trains across the country will be provided with faster and more reliable connectivity. Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander is expected to reveal the details later this summer.

New technology will be introduced on most main line services. This follows pilot schemes using LEO satellite connectivity involving LNER, South Western Railway and Great Western Railway companies. It will now be rolled out across the board with the state investing £57 million.

According to a government source quoted on the BBC today, the upgrade will "Rocket boost connectivity on every main line train in Britain over the next few years, tackling both slow speeds and irritating not-spots".

The plan is to improve WiFi availability across journeys from between 50% - 60% of the route to a minimum of 90%. In doing so it will be more effective than the current system of relying on often sporadic coverage offered by the UK’s national mobile network operators.

Bruce Williamson, spokesperson for the campaign group Rail Future told the BBC “Anything we can do to attract people onto the railways has got to be a good thing." However, other consumer groups pointed to deeper issues such as fares, delays and cancellations, which put travellers off using trains in the UK.

The BBC’s government source said that the administration is “Tackling the bread-and-butter issues passengers care about most to build a railway people can rely on and be proud of" as it sets up Great British Railway, a new umbrella body through which rail services and infrastructure will be operated.

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 this year’s 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, Hughes Europe, CGI, Unwired and Eutelsat are also Sponsoring the Conference. Antonics is an Expo Sponsor.

Tickets to attend the Conference are available now via http://traincomms.com/book1.cfm

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

The full programme for the 2026 Traincomms Conference can be reserved here: https://www.traincomms.com/#content2b

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