Following a recent partnership, UK-based Nomad Digital, a global leader in the provision of transport-based data and UAE telecommunications provider, du, are supplying passengers on the new Dubai Metro with internet access on-the-go. Nomad has deployed part of the metro’s state-of-the-art WiFi network, which provides seamless broadband connectivity to all trains and stations on the automated light-rail network.
Nomad Digital’s advanced mobile WiFi system can be fully-integrated with a variety of applications, including real-time security CCTV, entertainment downloaded by end-users, and automated driver performance systems. This capacity for integration has enabled operators like du to improve revenue streams, reduce costs and create business efficiencies.
“The Dubai Metro project has been a particularly exciting initiative for Nomad, reinforcing our position as a global market leader in transportation mobile services,” said Dr Nigel Wallbridge, Chairman, Nomad Digital. “Both du and its client, the Dubai Roads and Transport Authority, demanded the highest standards of quality for the Dubai Metro WiMAX system. With our experience in providing seamless connections between multi-bearers and in facilitating trackside WiMAX, we knew we could supply a superior, end-to-end solution. In particular, the Nomad system’s unified network architecture gives du the advantage of centralised control over all station and on-board WiFi systems.”
“We are pleased to work with industry leaders like Nomad Digital to provide a sophisticated, lightning-quick WiFi network that benefits all Dubai Metro passengers,” noted Farid Faraidooni, EVP Commercial, du. “By leveraging the proven expertise of top international suppliers, we have ensured that thousands of commuters enjoy world-class broadband services on-the-move, with all the flexibility and convenience of staying connected no matter where they travel, through cutting-edge mobile WIMAX and HSPA network solutions.”
The Dubai Metro began service on September 9, 2009. Trains run along a corridor of wireless coverage linked to trackside wireless base stations, with WiMAX radios located at frequent intervals along the route.
Nomad has unrivalled experience in mobile services for the transportation sector. It installed the first-ever rail broadband system on the UK’s Brighton Express in 2005 and is designing, building, constructing and managing the world’s longest broadband corridor on the UK’s 680km London to Glasgow route. It is currently active in markets worldwide, including the US, the Middle East, the Far East and Europe.