Case Study Icomera & Flytoget: The IoT Train
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Flytoget has leveraged the power of Icomera's wireless Internet connectivity & applications hosting platform to deliver a leading customer experience and transform its trains into some of the "world's largest moving IoT devices".
Flytoget's passengers benefit from a comfortable journey with high-speed, high-availability Wi-Fi for the duration of their trip. Icomera connectivity also provides benefits to Flytoget, through real-time device health alerts, passenger occupancy status, and proactive network monitoring & support.
About Flytoget
High-Speed Wi-Fi for Norway's Only High-Speed Trains
Flytoget, the Airport Express, is a Norwegian high-speed
Icomera won the 2016 tender for providing high-speed
airport link which offers modern and comfortable
Internet connectivity for Flytoget's passengers and
transport from Oslo Airport at Gardermoen, to Oslo Central
onboard systems and, once installation began, Icomera's
Station in only nineteen minutes, transporting 6.7 million
hardware platform only took a month to install and
passengers every year.
commission across all 16 GMB Class 71 EMU trainsets.
Flytoget services run every 10 minutes and they retain a punctuality rate of 97%, providing passengers with peace of mind that they will reach their destination on time. Flytoget and was voted Norway's 2nd overall company for customer satisfaction in 2021.
The Wi-Fi went live in 2017 and was extremely wellreceived by passengers. Customers can now log into the network via a simple captive portal and are instantly connected to the highspeed onboard Wi-Fi, achieving peak speeds of around 200Mbit/s, even as the train travels at speeds of up to 210km/h.
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Putting Passengers First
A Centralised Platform for IoT
In 2016, Flytoget identified onboard passenger Wi-Fi as
At the heart of Flytoget's onboard Internet connectivity is
being one of the most critical factors in improving
Icomera’s Multi-Radio Connectivity & Applications Hosting
passenger sentiment towards its high-speed airport
platform.
shuttle service, as the previous Wi-Fi service did not meet
connectivity, Icomera’s onboard routers use SureWAN™:
passenger expectations at the time.
an advanced algorithm that allows the modems in the
Therefore, as part of its commitment to excellent customer service, Flytoget selected Icomera to act as a
device
To
to
provide
uninterrupted,
intelligently
connect
high-capacity
to
multiple
communications networks at the same time.
Digital Partner and to deliver improved onboard Wi-Fi
Specifically designed for public transport use, the
through its award-winning X-Series mobile Internet
SureWAN algorithm aggregates all available carriers and
connectivity & applications hosting platform.
capacity along the route to accomplish maximum data
Due to Flytoget’s dedication to improving the passenger experience, it saw a marked increase in passenger
throughput, coverage, availability, and redundancy, and to minimise data loss from handover.
satisfaction levels and Flytoget has consistently been
Around 45% of the Flytoget route consists of tunnels, with
voted one of the top 10 overall companies in Norway for
4G connectivity throughout. 5G connectivity is now being
customer satisfaction since 2016.
received in the longest section of tunnel.
This clearly demonstrates the value of placing the
With Icomera's solution on Flytoget's new Class 78 CAF
customer's needs first, whether on the part of the
Oaris fleet, both the operator and its passengers will be
passenger or the transport operator.
able to benefit from the best of both generations of wireless technology at the same time by seamlessly aggregating the capacity of all available 4G and 5G networks along the route.
Flytoget's dedication to providing excellent customer service, staff training, comfortable journeys, and a punctuality level of 97% resulted in passengers voting it Norway's No.2 overall company for customer satisfaction.
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Connecting Flytoget to Data as Passengers Get Connected to Their Flights
To enhance operational efficiency, Flytoget uses its Class
The Operational data that is constantly being streamed
71 trains' onboard connectivity to set up a Train
from Flytoget's trains is also useful for passengers
Management System which feeds back to the operations
looking to find the right train car for the most comfortable
centre in real-time. At a glance, Flytoget personnel can
journey. Automatic Passenger Counting data is collected
view overall train status, locations, door status, health
and transmitted in the form of a Red-Amber-Green (RAG)
monitoring for onboard components, as well as a full train
Status. This allows passengers to see live occupancy
diagnostic system with error codes and alarms from
levels of each train car, as well as facilities for children,
multiple trains at the same time.
disabled access, and "quiet cars" for the most peaceful
To proactively make the most of the data from their trains,
and relaxing journeys.
Flytoget have opted for an innovative, software-based approach to train diagnostics and reporting by running IoT edge applications on a virtual machine hosted on Icomera's X-Series router. By leveraging the processing power of Icomera's onboard platform, Flytoget's operations personnel can see alarms coming from each train, view alerts raised by train controllers, and can use this information to offer guidance to onboard staff.
Flytoget's operations centre receives updates from the trains in real-time, allowing for proactive responses to issues before they can impact timetables, helping Flytoget to maintain or even exceed its 97% punctuality level.
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The Flytoget IoT Train
By leveraging the computing capabilities of Icomera's X-Series onboard mobile connectivity & applications hosting router, Flytoget trains can support a wide array of systems, all powered by the onboard Ethernet backbone. In addition to providing a leading passenger experience by offering high-performance passenger Wi-Fi and luggage tag printers, the operational efficiency of Flytoget's fleet is enhanced through the use of systems which include fibre network monitoring, train management systems, train diagnostics, passenger counting, and remote VPN startup & diagnostics to ensure that the service runs smoothly. Flytoget is also able to increase revenue streams by offering advertising on monitors situated throughout the train, as well as providing departure information for passengers, which is updated after every journey. Each update requires around 400MB of data and would not otherwise be possible without consistent, high-capacity onboard connectivity.
Passenger Counting
Train Diagnostic Systems & Error Alarms
Train Management Systems VPN Remote Startup & Diagnostics
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Icomera X-Series Router
To enhance operational efficiency, Flytoget uses its Class 71 trains' onboard connectivity to set up a Train Management System which feeds back to the operations centre in real-time. At a glance, Flytoget personnel can view overall train status, locations, door status, health monitoring for onboard components, as well as a full train diagnostic system with error codes and alarms from multiple trains at the same time. To proactively make the most of the data from their trains, Flytoget have opted for an innovative, software-based approach to train diagnostics and reporting by running IoT edge applications on a virtual machine hosted on Icomera's X-Series router. Through the processing power of Icomera's onboard platform, Flytoget's operations personnel can see alarms coming from each train, view alerts raised by train controllers, and can use this information to offer guidance to onboard staff.
Wi-Fi Luggage Tag Printer
Train Advertising System
Fibre Network Monitoring Systems
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Icomera's hardware platform was simple and easy to install, only taking Flytoget's Engineering Team one month to outfit the entire fleet of fifteen GMB Type 71 EMU trains.
The onboard departure information screens on the Class 78 service are updated every journey. As they only support video files, each offload requires around 400MB of data, which is only practically feasible with Icomera's high-capacity Wi-Fi.
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World-Class Network Monitoring & Support for Operators
Flytoget also gets the benefit of proactive, professional
This offers the dual advantages of increasing system
monitoring
uptime and service quality, while protecting a client’s
and
support
from
Icomera's
Network
Operations Centre (NOC).
brand image and investment.
The Icomera NOC is responsible for remotely monitoring
Icomera’s regionally located NOCs use the world’s time-
the network in order to help maintain unbroken service
zones to their advantage, following a "Chase the Sun"
coverage, resolving incidents in a timely manner, and
structure to maintain an uninterrupted service.
contributing to a high-performance and high-availability environment. Responding to client enquiries via phone, email, chat, and
Icomera's NOC agents handle critical operations with the utmost care, working to ISO 27001 best practices, and always keeping security front-of-mind.
via Jira, Icomera's support agents have the technical expertise to address complex and business-critical issues, quickly identifying the root cause of incidents and empowering continual service improvement.
Icomera's NOC helps transport operators to maintain a more secure and efficient service by raising alerts and offering rapid support as soon as network faults or intrusions are detected.
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“Flytoget's commitment to offering a relaxing, smooth, and
"Icomera is delighted to continue acting as a trusted Digital
timely journey is at the heart of every decision we make and
Partner to Flytoget, leveraging our technology and expertise
offering our passengers a better digital experience plays a
to find elegant technical solutions that help Flytoget
huge role in the achieving this.
maintain its high level of passenger satisfaction.
This
multiple-stakeholder
operation,
encompassing
The value of Icomera's centralised connectivity platform
numerous hardware and software vendors and mobile
also extends far beyond just what is visible to passengers.
cellular network operators allows us to deliver a truly worldclass experience for our passengers."
The
same
underlying
technology
which
supports
Passenger Wi-Fi and journey information also transmits data between devices and systems in operators’ vehicles and data centres, which in turn feeds back into a smooth, punctual service."
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Leo Bull
Torsten John
IT & Technology Director, Flytoget
Icomera’s SVP for EMEA Region
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ICOMERA Odinsgatan 28, 411 03 Göteborg, Sweden T +46 31 799 21 00 sales@icomera.com