Project launched to improve WiFi on rural transport in Wales
A new project has been launched to improve broadband on public transport in parts of rural Wales.
The StarBws project backed by the Welsh Government and a consortium of partners, will trial a mix of Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite and 4G mobile (wireless) technologies from Starlink, Peplink and wavemobile to improve broadband for passengers travelling in rural parts of the Swansea Bay area.
Getting good internet connectivity on public transport in rural areas can be particularly challenging due to obstructions such as tree canopies and valleys, which would normally block the signal.
The trial itself will initially focus on the rural 460 Carmarthen to Cardigan bus service, which operates four times daily and takes 1 hour and 26 minutes to complete one way.
Having recently launched, the project will run for one year, providing insights from passengers as well as testing the potential of advanced connectivity solutions in rural Wales.
Starlink
Partners in the project include Starlink’s LEO satellites, Peplink’s network bonding and failover capabilities, and wavemobile’s LTE (4G) Band 46 Cell technology. Dragon WiFi is also involved.
Ken Skates, Cabinet Secretary for Transport and North Wales, said: “I am pleased Welsh Government has been able to support this innovative and really worthwhile project. WiFi connectivity on public transport, particularly in rural areas can be challenging.
“The StarBws project will provide a solution for that, allowing people to use their devices for work and leisure, keeping them connected even when they are travelling through remote countryside.”
Swansea Bay City Deal
The £1.3bn Swansea Bay City Deal project is said to fully support this initiative and looks forward to tracking the trial, which provides an opportunity to explore how various technologies can be leveraged to address real-time challenges faced by passengers using public transport in rural areas.
Rob Stewart, Leader of Swansea Council, said: “This project represents significant progress in innovation, tackling a well-known challenge in rural transportation.
The application of this technology not only benefits rural areas but also has the potential to enhance connectivity and efficiency across all forms of public transport, especially on longer journeys where commuters need to be able to continue working.”
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Oh heck. Avoid starlink. Really don’t fund Musk.
Starlink is the only way we get any internet in our location. Our non fibre speed with BT copper was 3mb and with Starlink we get 100+mb.
Open reach quoted us and our neighbour £70,000 for fibre.
Starlink is great. Pity no UK companies were interested in us,
I appreciate how it works. There are other options but our Telco’s need prodding from No10.
Doest change the dynamic with the fickle and fragile owner though. Now we have a Welsh government in hock to an entity that will meddle in UK politics, looking to fund $eform attack the Welsh government and Starlink also has a massive unknown pollution bill.
There are no other options at the moment, not unless you pay a fortune, Starlink is quite cheap and it simply works. UK Gov invested £400m in OneWeb and now OneWeb is a part of Eutelsat – a French company, so much for sovereignty (the very reason we apparently needed OneWeb, because Brexit meant Galileo wasn’t tenable). There are 600 OneWeb satellites, compared to over 7000 Starlink Satellites. No comparison here, and that’s before you look at the higher
running costs, so Welsh Gov or whoever paid for this don’t appear to have any choice in the matter.
Well said Jeff, amazed how quickly people forget their principles and put themselves first, Imagine giving money to the person who’s about to financially back a political party whose main objective in Wales is to destroy the Senedd, I suppose if you’re a tory its par for the course.
Silly comments like this don’t help devolution. How many presents did you buy for Christmas from large corporates with poor workers rights, or from countries that do not reflect well on your views (did you boycott them?) – sadly the Senedd’s own action on getting an extra 36 politicians will potentially see its demise, or challenge its presence at the very least. 36 Senedd members is a 60% increase, and I’m sure will strike a negative cord with the majority of the electorate preferring to see a 60% increase in GP’s, Dentists, Homes, or better public services, of course a… Read more »
The money would be better spent on providing more frequent buses. People could always travel with a book rather than scrolling through social media on the bus.
More than one bus a week would be a good start, Thursday is bus day in Llangors, better not miss it.
How about just improving the frequency of services and integrating rail and buses?