Mobile & Satellite: Bluetooth trial raises spectrum concerns
By Joanne Taaffe
05 June 2000
CWI Online
.......The Swedish Railway has installed the Bluetooth LAN on a commuter
train that runs into Stockholm, as well as at the Stockholm central railway
station. Users have maximum data access speeds of 1 megabit per second.
The trial is limited to around 10 commuters, each with a GSM WAP phone and a
Bluetooth unit. The commuters can store virtual train tickets in their
phones which are punched virtually by the train conductor, who can also use
the Bluetooth LAN to check that the ticket corresponds to the seat number.
"It's a boost for our own staff and for our customers," said Tony Nyden,
manager of IT and infrastructure for the Swedish Railway, which plans to
extend the service to offer its customers and staff Internet access via
satellite networks.
No clear business models
The Railway relies on a publicly owned GSM network, called GSM.R, dedicated
to its use for links between the moving train and the outside world.
Transport companies, airports and conference centers are likely to be first
to deploy Bluetooth for ticket sales, information services and e-mail
downloads.
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