The major mobile operators in The Netherlands (T-Mobile, KPN and Vodafone) have implemented the first mobile coverage which provides the commuters traveling at high peed trains with superfast downloads in tunnel​ of Oude Maas. T-Mobile released the information also in English - below.

Mobile coverage in first high-speed tunnel is a fact

Collaboration between T-Mobile, KPN and Vodafone enables superfast downloads in high speed train high-speed tunnel

As of today, notifications about 'no mobile coverage’ in a high-speed tunnel between Breda and Rotterdam belong to the past. In recent months T-Mobile has worked hard together with KPN and Vodafone to provide mobile coverage in the Old Maas Tunnel; the first train tunnel with a mobile network ProRail and Infraspeed facilitated the installation of mobile installations in the tunnel during the major outage last November.

A complex job
The installation of mobile systems in tunnels requires special assembly technology, because trains travel very fast. The systems must be able to withstand the pressure created at speeds of 300 km per hour. For this reason, wind tunnel tests have been carried out with the antennas and extra well-protected cabinets have been developed for technical equipment. Because it is such a complex job, preparations for this project have been ongoing since 2017.

The first tunnel with coverage
In the current situation, the mobile coverage on the high speed line is not optimal due to the many tunnels on the line. And this is could causing frustration among as train passengers would like to use their time to do something for work or watch a movie. Therefore, the mobile operators are going to realize mobile coverage in the various high-speed tunnels, step by step.

The aim is to provide all five high-speed tunnels with a mobile network by mid-2023, including the seven-kilometer long ‘Groene Hart Tunnel’. The experience gained from the work in the ‘Oude Maas Tunnel’ will be used to speed up the provision of the other high-speed tunnels in the future. In the coming weeks the network will be intensively monitored and further optimized.