Interview Ralf Cabos, Founder and CEO of Potsdam-based PaxLife Innovations startup, explains how to answer, with today’s technology, passengers’ evolving demands for increased bandwidth, uninterrupted connectivity and personalised travel experience.

High-Quality Media Experience Onboard with Optimized 4G Use Q: PaxLife originally started to connect aircraft passengers to the digital world; how do you see the onboard entertainment in the railway industry today?

A: Just as in the aviation industry a few years ago, the passenger experience is now a top priority for manufacturers and transport operators alike. From leisure journeys to regular commutes, onboard entertainment and continuous information has become crucial to ensure that passengers get the most out of their travel time.

Data consumption has been increasing every year, especially for video content. When used by a larger number of passengers it can quickly push even the most modern system to its performance limits. The challenge is that the bandwidth available in vehicles still remains limited and has to be shared, and ensuring a reliable connection throughout the entire journey is difficult. Also, with the technological evolution of personal devices, passengers are expecting a more personalised experience than ever before.

Q: So, what is PaxLife Innovations’ approach at this point? Which solutions have you developed? A: First of all, we strongly believe that an attractive and modern onboard infotainment offer has to adapt to the passenger’s own consumption behaviour; we have to meet the passengers where they are: on their devices, on their smartphone, through the apps they have already downloaded on their phone. We should not anymore have to set up a local platform filled with media content no one is really keen about while