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Showing posts with label WIFI. Show all posts
Showing posts with label WIFI. Show all posts

Friday, 15 February 2019

07:41

Magic Box A wi-fi Off line Multimedia Content to the Users While Train Journey

Magic Box A wi-fi Off line Multimedia Content to the Users While Train Journey
No.903/2018-19
13-02-2019
Secunderabad

‘MAGIC BOX’ Wi-Fi Infotainment System on Kacheguda-Bengaluru Express Entertainment on-the-go for rail passengers 

In a far reaching initiative to enhance passenger comfort, South Central Railway has introduced unique concept called ‘Magic Box’ Wi-Fi Infotainment System o­n train which provides off-line multimedia content to the users. Six Magic box devices have been provided in five Air-conditioned coaches of o­ne rake of Train No. 12785 Kacheguda - KSR Bengaluru Bangalore Express for the first time o­n trail basis over South Central Railway. The system has been supplied by M/s. SR Moving Talkies Private Limited, New Delhi. So far this facility is provided o­n New Delhi Shatabdi Express, Mumbai Rajdhani Express and Lucknow Express trains o­nly.
The objective of Magic Box is to provide entertainment to the passengers during their journey time. Passengers can access 500 hours of entertainment available in the Magic Box through Wi-Fi duly switching o­n Wi-Fi o­n their respective mobiles/Laptops and no internet connection is required for this purpose. Passengers can enjoy the content of their interest and relax during their train journey such as watching Movies in English, Hindi & Regional languages. Kids also can enjoy Cartoons, Songs etc. The content pertaining to Railways and other Government policies is also available in the Magic Box, for interested passengers to access the same and update their knowledge using the information available.
Steps to get connected to the Magic Box:
  • Go to settings
  • Go to Wi-Fi option
  • Look at available net works and connect to “Magic Box’
  • Go to browser after getting the connection
  • Type magicbox.com o­n the browser window
  • Click o­n thumbnail to start watching
  • One time registration to be done to Access the content
  • Enjoy the entertainment content


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Sunday, 26 March 2017

15:20

Indian Railways to install Wi-Fi kiosks at 500 remote stations for e-services

Indian Railways to install Wi-Fi kiosks at 500 remote stations for e-services
Aiming to provide connectivity in remote areas, Railways will set up Wi-Fi hotspot kiosks at about 500 stations and help people access an array of online services, including various government schemes.
Aiming to provide connectivity in remote areas, Railways will set up Wi-Fi hotspot kiosks at about 500 stations and help people access an array of online services, including various government schemes. Christened as Railwire Saathi, the Wi-Fi kiosks will function like a PCO for Digital India and enable people to use services like e-commerce, online banking, offer them access to open school/university and insurance schemes, e-ticketing for train and bus services among others.
Automated form filling, mobile and DTH recharge are other services which the Railwire Saathi is expected to provide in areas with limited connectivity.
The Railwire Saathi aims to provide connectivity to the unconnected and at the same time offer jobs opportunities in rural areas, a senior Railway Ministry official said.
HomeIndia news Indian Railways to install Wi-Fi kiosks at 500 remote stations for e-services
Indian Railways to install Wi-Fi kiosks at 500 remote stations for e-services
Aiming to provide connectivity in remote areas, Railways will set up Wi-Fi hotspot kiosks at about 500 stations and help people access an array of online services, including various government schemes.
Automated form filling, mobile and DTH recharge are other services which the Railwire Saathi is expected to provide in areas with limited connectivity. (PTI)
Aiming to provide connectivity in remote areas, Railways will set up Wi-Fi hotspot kiosks at about 500 stations and help people access an array of online services, including various government schemes. Christened as Railwire Saathi, the Wi-Fi kiosks will function like a PCO for Digital India and enable people to use services like e-commerce, online banking, offer them access to open school/university and insurance schemes, e-ticketing for train and bus services among others.
Automated form filling, mobile and DTH recharge are other services which the Railwire Saathi is expected to provide in areas with limited connectivity.
The Railwire Saathi aims to provide connectivity to the unconnected and at the same time offer jobs opportunities in rural areas, a senior Railway Ministry official said.
While Railways is equipping about 400 stations with free Wi-Fi service in association with Google, this scheme has dual aim – providing jobs as well as connectivity. He said the scheme is expected to be operational by May.
The Railwire Saathi is a Wi-Fi entrepreneurship model where unemployed youths, preferably women, can be trained and supported to set up a Wi-Fi hotspot and provide a platform to online services which will make the business sustainable, he said.
RailTel, the telecom arm of railways, would execute the scheme across the country. Though there are various schemes for minorities, farmers, common man and many avenues for completing education, people in remote areas are generally not aware of them or find it difficult to access them, said the official.
Unemployed youth who wants to be RailWire Saathi would have to contact RailTel for necessary training. The training course will be approved by National Skill Development Council (NSDC). After being trained by RailTel, the youth will get certificate which can be used to get loan under the Mudra scheme, he said.
Using the loan money, they will install and manage the Wi-Fi hotspots as per design provide by RailTel. Railwire Saathi will help in disseminating information about various government schemes like Pradhan Mantri Ujjwal Yojana, Pradhan Mantri Mudra Yojna, Pradhan Mantri Atal Pension Yojna, Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Beema Yojna and Pradhan Mantri Surakhya Beema Yojna among others.

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Tuesday, 12 July 2016

07:25

Tejas trains to have Entertainment Units, WiFi

Tejas trains to have Entertainment Units, WiFi 

With high-tech Entertainment Units, WiFi facility and integrated Braille Displays, the coaches of premier Indian Railways Tejas trains are being readied to give its passengers the feel of world class travel

New Delhi: With high-tech entertainment units, WiFi facility and integrated braille displays, the coaches of premier Indian Railways Tejas trains are being readied to give its passengers the feel of world class travel.

While the coaches of Tejas, meaning brilliance, will be of golden colour, those of Hamsafar, also to be rolled out this year, will be draped in vinyl sheets painted in the colours of earth and sky to convey the message of being the common man’s carrier.

“Design features of the coaches of Tejas, Hamsafar, Antodaya and Deen Dayalu have been finalised now. The production units have been instructed to manufacture and equip the coaches accordingly,” said a senior Railway Ministry official.

Tejas coaches will have Executive Class and Chair Cars, while those of Hamsafar will 3-AC.

Besides the improved aesthetics, Tejas coaches will be equipped with 22 new features including entertainment screens for each passenger along with hand phone socket and LED boards for communicating safety instructions.

There will be water level indicators in bio-vacuum toilets, sensorised taps and hand driers. Tejas coaches will also have Wi-Fi facility, integrated braille displays, digital destination boards and electronic passenger reservation chart.

Since Tejas will be a new premier class train, attempts have been made to provide state-of-the-art facilities including tea and coffee vending machines, magazines and snack tables, the official said.

Both Tejas and Hamsafar will have CCTVs, and fire and smoke detection and suppression system.

Tejas and Hamsafar trains along with Antodaya Express and Deen Dayalu coaches are to be introduced in the current fiscal as part of the budget proposal.

Antodaya Express will be a fully unreserved train, while Deen Dayalu coaches will have improved facilities for general class passengers.

Source:RailNews
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Sunday, 24 January 2016

20:42

100 stations to get Google wi-fi free in one year: Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu

100 stations to get Google wi-fi free in one year: Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu

The minister said along with Google wi-fi, his ministry is also trying to ensure a better customer experience for all the travellers who take the Indian Railways at all the stations.

Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu today said that in one year at-least 100 railway stations across the country will have Google wi-fi.

“We will start offering Google wi-fi connectivity to nearly 100 major railway stations in one year,” Prabhu told reporters at the sideline of an event in Goa today.

The minister said along with Google wi-fi, his ministry is also trying to ensure a better customer experience for all the travellers who take the Indian Railways at all the stations.

Yesterday, Prabhu launched a free high-speed public wi-fi service in collaboration with technology giant Google at Mumbai Central station here, which became first such station in country to get such facility.

Google has partnered with Railtel Corporation to provide the connectivity to the railway stations across country.

In a statement issued Google had said that the four stations where free wi-fi facility would be provided soon are Allahabad, Patna, Jaipur and Ranchi, and other stations will follow very shortly.

Source:Govemployees
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Friday, 18 December 2015

08:56

Indian Railways Seeks Google's Suggestions for New IT Applications

Indian Railways Seeks Google's Suggestions for New IT Applications

The Indian Railways on Wednesday sought suggestions from Google CEO Sunder Pichai regarding the use of new IT applications for the benefit of its passengers as well as freight users.

Pichai, who met Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu in New Delhi, was also told about the various mobile phone-based applications operational in the railways, according to a senior Ministry official who was present in about 40-minute meeting, along with officials from the Indian Railways and Google.

The Indian Railways is keen to increase its IT applications including launching of more apps for various purposes.

Currently, railway clocks about 500,000 to 600,000 online ticket bookings in a day besides operationalise a few apps like security app for women in Mumbai suburban services and paperless ticketing for local journey.

Google and RailTel, a railway PSU, had signed an agreement in June to build a high quality Wi-Fi access network at 400 major stations across the country.

The project was announced in September, in line with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Digital India initiative and his visit to Google headquarters in USA.

To streamline execution of the Wi-Fi project, RailTel and Google have formed a joint task force and project team.

The project team would launch the Wi-Fi service at Mumbai Central station as a pilot project and subsequently do it in 16 more stations.

It is planned to provide Wi-Fi services in 100 stations in 2016. The remaining 300 stations will be taken up in 2017.

Download the Gadgets 360 app for Android and iOS to stay up to date with the latest tech news, product reviews, and exclusive deals on the popular mobiles.

 Source:http://gadgets.ndtv.com/internet/news/indian-railways-seeks-googles-suggestions-for-new-it-applications-779106
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08:34

Google says Railway WiFi in India will be Network Neutral

Google says Railway WiFi in India will be Network Neutral

New Delhi, India: Sundar Pichai of GoogleIn an event targeted at Google’s India initiatives to bring another billion citizens online, the company said that internet access was a huge problem in the country.

To change that, Google already has put in place projects like bicycles for women, Project Loon and RailWire WiFi.

The company is particularly bullish about its RailWire WiFi project that will provide free WiFi across railway stations in India.

It said that people will be free to access anything they want on the internet and there will be no special zero-rated services.

Upholding Net Neutrality

“It is not our intention to provide a walled-garden to use only Google applications,” said Marian Croak, Google’s vice president for access strategy and emerging markets. She added that Google is building the WiFi on the top of fibre infrastructure and the company will have no role in controlling the content on the network.

Gulzar Azad, head of access programs in India, said that the speeds on public WiFi will be higher than the average speeds in India, which according to the latest Akamai report is 2.3 Mbps (which seems to be too high for India). Azad added that the goal of the project is to provide high-speed, fast and reliable internet. “I don’t think zero-rating plays a role here,” he added responding to a question from MediaNama.

Mumbai Central is likely becoming the first WiFi-enabled station in January 2016, and 100 railway stations will have WiFi by the end of 2016. The company is still trying to come up with a monetization model to make the project commercially sustainable.

Not Strictly Against Zero Rating

However, Google hasn’t been averse to zero-rating in the past. Google is a member of Internet.org in Zambia and has done zero-rated deals in India in the past with Airtel. It was also planning on an Internet.org style service for apps and was in discussions companies like Flipkart, Redbus, Olacabs and others.

In August, it even tried to get Internet and Mobile Association of India remove any mention of ‘zero-rating’ in its response to the Department of Telecom’s report on net neutrality.

Facebook, which has been the leading proponent of zero-rating, has repeatedly said that cost of data is one of the biggest barriers for internet access in India and its Free Basics program will be a big step in getting the economically weaker groups online. During the event yesterday, Zuckerberg’s thoughts were somewhat echoed by Rajan Anandan, Google’s Managing Director South East Asia and India, though he did not comment on zero-rated services or their perceived benefits.

“Many of these new [internet] users will find that even Rs 100, 200 or 300 is actually an amount of money that that they can’t really afford to spend,” Anandan said. “Affordability, which has been a constraint across many industries in .India, will become even more acute for these new set of internet users,” he added.
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Wednesday, 16 December 2015

22:27

Google will heavily invest in India, to Wi-Fi 400 Railway Stations: Sundar Pichai

Google will heavily invest in India, to Wi-Fi 400 Railway Stations: Sundar Pichai

Google announces its India plans: Free WiFi from January, training for 2 million developers, Project Loon; Mumbai Central station will be the first to go live, by January 2016. Google will build a new campus, and ramp up engineering presence in Hyderabad to make products for India; it will also up hiring in Bengaluru, and help women from three lakh villages across India to get online in three years.

New Delhi: In his first overseas visit after taking over as the chief of Google Inc, Sundar Pichai made a strong statement about the importance India will play in the overall strategy of the company in the future. Pichai said that Google will invest heavily in not just enabling Internet access in the country but also in making sure that great products are developed in India.

“It makes a lot of sense to invest in India as what we build here will have global usage,” the Chennai-born Pichai said while addressing a Google for India conference on Wednesday. Pichai gave examples of products such as MapMaker, Youtube offline, streamline search etc, which were developed for India and are now widely used globally.

To tap into the strong developer community in India further, Google is launching a programme to train 2 million developers on its Android platform over the next three years through a partnership with the National Skill development Corporation of India, said Pichai. While outlining his vision for the country, he said that going forward it will be based on bringing more and more people online, creating products that provide information which the people here want and making sure that users don’t use use the Internet to consume content but also “add their voice back by creating, uploading and sharing content,” he said.

Earlier this year Google announced a project to connect 400 Railway stations in the country through Wi-Fi along with RailTel. Pichai said that the project is on track and the first 100 stations will be connected by the end of 2016 and Google is currently running a pilot at the Mumbai Central station which is expected to go live by January next year.

We are also exploring ways to make the Google Loon project work in India,” said Pichai. The company has sent a proposal to the government of India to float balloons over the Indian airspace that will provide Internet connectivity to the hard to access rural areas. However, the project is currently awaiting clearance from several Indian ministries. Pichai also talked about another initiative where rural women will be given bicycles and by Google to reach out to other women in nearby areas to help them come online. For this initiative, Google has tied up with Tata Trust and is currently running it in 1,000 villages. Pichai said the aim is to scale it up to 3,00,000 villages over the next three years.

Also in the offing are local language support for Google product s such as Android, Maps and Youtube to make sure that a large population of the country which is non-English speaking also comes onboard the world wide web.
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Wednesday, 14 October 2015

07:23

Kolkata Metro Puja gift: Wi-Fi & app to track trains

Kolkata Metro Puja gift: Wi-Fi & app to track trains

 KOLKATA: Metro rolled out free Wi-Fi at Park Street and Maidan stations on Tuesday and promised to extend it along the length of the network very soon. 

 Along with Puja gift came the announcement that Metro will run a record 738 services during the festive days, starting at 1.40pm on October 20, 21 and 22 and continuing till 4 am on October 22. On October 23, services end at 11pm. Metro has also launched an app through which passengers can track trains and stay updated about special services. 

 "We'll run 200 services each on Saptami, Ashtami and Navami, and 138 on Dashami. Special security arrangements have been made," said Metro Railway general manager A K Kapoor, adding that an additional lift is being installed at Dum Dum and centralized AC plants have come up at Kalighat and Rabindra Sarovar. 

 Kapoor said that more counters will be manned during the Pujas to sell paper tickets to pandal hoppers. No tokens will be issued during the Pujas to prevent confusion among first time users. Metro has received proposals from two cellular firms to introduce seamless service along the route. They will use the Metro's co-axial leaky cable in the tunnels. 

 Source:Times Of India

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Monday, 5 October 2015

09:54

Maharaja Express bags Seven Star Global Luxury Award

Maharaja Express bags Seven Star Global Luxury Award

Allahabad: Maharaja Express, the luxury train that offers royal tour on five routes, including Agra and Varanasi, was recently conferred the coveted ‘Seven Star Global Luxury Award’ in Indonesia. The award, launched in 2013, is given for excellence in the field of hospitality. The train is operated by Indian Railways Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC).

Maharajas’ Express beat internationally renowned luxury trains like The Deccan Odyssey (India), the Rocky Mountaineer (Canada), Rovos Rail (South Africa) and other brands such as Ferrari World in Abu Dhabi, Bali Food Safari and the Luxury Charter Yacht to win the award.

It also has the distinction of being voted as ‘The World’s Leading Luxury Train’ at The World Travel Awards for three consecutive years 2012, 2013 and 2014.

Maharaja Express interiors
North-Central Region (NCR) public relations manager Pradeep Dutta said, “By bagging the Seven Star Luxury Award, Maharajas’ Express has cemented its brand and reputation as ‘The World’s Leading Luxury Train’. It is truly a special award that will bolster the reputation of the train internationally.”

Maharajas’ Express currently runs on five circuits across north-west and central India, covering a dozen destinations, mainly in Rajasthan, between the tourist months of October and April.

The Luxury Tour Circuits on wheels, allows one to explore exotic locales including trip to one of the largest dinosaur fossil parks at Balasinor with opportunity to meet one of the Indian royal family, a trip to erotic temples of Khajuraho, to participate in the exhibition elephant polo match at Jaipur, cocktail & barbeque sundowner on the sand dunes at Bikaner, champagne breakfast overlooking the immortal beauty of the Taj Mahal in Agra and boat trip on the Ganges at the Holy City of Varanasi.
Maharaja Express in Agra
Since its inaugural run in 2010, Maharajas’ Express has been redefining elegance and opulence, luxury and comfort, recreating lifestyle of the princely era and showcasing Incredible India.

All its carriages are equipped with an array of top notch facilities such as live television, DVD player and wifi. All coaches are equipped with individual temperature control, attached bathroom and water filtration plant. Besides round-the-clock valet service and a paramedic is available throughout the journey.
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Saturday, 26 September 2015

08:58

Vodafone Enables Free Wi-Fi Zone at Ahmedabad Railway Station


Vodafone Enables Free Wi-Fi Zone at Ahmedabad Railway Station

Ahmedabad: Vodafone India, one of India’s leading telecom service providers has collaborated with Indian Railways to set up India’s a Free Wi-Fi zone at Ahmedabad Railway station, Kalupur.

Vodafone’s free Wi-Fi zone has been created on Platform No.1 of the Ahmedabad railway station situated at Kalupur area. Vodafone’s free Wi-Fi zone is network agnostic and any mobile phone user can avail of this benefit, regardless of which telecom service provider they are aligned with.

vodafone wifi adiVodafone’s free Wi-Fi zone facilitates 100 MB or 20 minutes of uninterrupted usage, whichever lapses first. A mobile phone user can connect once in 24 hours from one unique number. Vodafone is one of the first telecom service providers in India to activate this innovative initiative linking branding and mass customer engagement, at a popular public outpost.
Inviting all residents of Ahmedabad and travellers to the city to make the most of Vodafone’s Free Wi-fi zone, Jayesh Gadia, Business Head – Gujarat, Vodafone India said that “At Vodafone, we have been constantly innovating and evolving along with a dynamic environment to empower customers and simplify their lives through the self-service platform. As Gujarat’s no. 1 telecom company for nineteen years now, Vodafone is pleased to bring one more customer friendly initiative in the form of the free Wi-Fi zone at Ahmedabad railway station. Whether you are passing by or waiting, now platform no.1 AT Ahmedabad Railway Station, Kalupur, is going to be the cool spot to hang out and stay connected round the clock, thanks to Vodafone.”

Making its foray into the Indian market in 2007, Vodafone today has built an ever growing, robust business in highly price sensitive and competitive market. Serving over 185 million customers, Vodafone provides innovative, customer friendly and differentiated products and services through a wide scale distribution and exclusive retail footprint – backed up with a modern, technologically advanced network for both voice and data.
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Thursday, 17 September 2015

08:08

The Indian railways is all set for a complete transformation in the next five years.- Railway Minister

The Indian railways is all set for a complete transformation in the next five years

Japan and Google all set to revamp Indian railways

Japan gears up for a billion dollar investment in Indian Railways Networks:

Japan the country known for its immense technological strides has set the ball rolling for revamping the Indian Railways network with a whooping 140 billion dollar investment to improvise the existing infrastructure. Nearly 400 stations have been listed in the modernisation project of the Indian public transporter network.

Japan will provide its expertise in solving problems of sanitation including the development of waterless, odourless toilets in trains and stations. Japanese officials have also agreed to assist Indian Railways in the zero-accident mission and development of a legal and regulatory framework on high speed railway.

Railways Minister Suresh Prabhu is in Japan to discuss the modernisation and technology upgrade project with the Japanese Prime Miniter Shinzo Abe and Finance Minister Taro Aso. Prabhu also held meetings with heads of leading financial institutions  to highlight the investment prospects in railways in the coming years. railwaPrabhu is on a two-nation visit to Japan and Korea since September 7.

A Japanese delegation will soon visit India to study the opportunities for industries in the railway station development.  The Railways research wing - Research Designs & Standards Organisation (RDSO), will sign an MoU with Railway Technical Research Institute of Japan to carry out research work on acquiring modern technology for the public transporter. 

The tech giant Google recently decided to partner with the Indian Railways for 'Project Nilgiri' and is set to bring in free Wifi access across 400 stations in India.
For this service Google Fiber will be making its way to India. The Google Fiber is popularly known to provide fast broadband in the USA. The services aims at providing seamless network connectivity in select railway Stations across India.

In the first phase of the project WiFi hotspots will be set up  across India over a span of 4 months.

Passengers will be able to access the WiFi after a mobile verification and a one-time password sent over SMS. There will be 34 minutes of uninterrupted service after which the speed will reduce but the connectivity will remain.

 The future of the Indian railways infrastructure looks rosy with the current plans of technological advancement. For any of this to be a reality we need to be more conscious about indiscriminately littering railway tracks and stations.

 Source :India Today.
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Wednesday, 16 September 2015

07:19

The executive lounges at 30 more stations are likely to come up in a year's time.-IRCTC

The executive lounges at 30 more stations are likely to come up in a year's time.

IRCTC to set up executive lounges at 19 stations 

NEW DELHI: The IRCTC has floated tenders for setting up its executive lounge at 19 stations that will provide airport lounge-like facilities to train passengers at an affordable rate. 

"The swanky executive lounges, which will be a state-of- the-art facility, can help the train passengers recover from tiredness during the journey. Also, waiting for a train will no longer be an ordeal," Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) Chairman and Managing Director said. 

The stations where the facility will come up are Jaipur, Vijayawada, Agra Cantt, New Delhi, Kathgodam, Patna, Sealdah, Howrah, Bhubaneshwar, Vishakhapatnam, Ahmedabad, Puri, Nagpur, Madurai, Bengaluru, Ludhiana, Amritsar, Lucknow and Gorakhpur.


The IRCTC MD said the tenders will be finalised by October and the executive lounges are likely to be functional by early next year.

The lounge will provide a string of airport-like facilities, including wash and change, Wi-Fi, Internet, Live TV, music channels, buffet services, newspaper/bookstand, luggage racks, shoe shiner, train information system and concierge services for pre-departure and post-arrival assistance to passengers. 

Executive lounge will accept credit cards and debit cards, apart from cash. It will make travel safer as passengers are not required to carry cash.

The executive lounges at 30 more stations are likely to come up in a year's time.

Once operational, it will hugely change the profile of passenger amenities at these stations. The Railways will identify space at the stations, which will then be handed over to IRCTC for setting up the lounge. 

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Thursday, 10 September 2015

22:20

RailTel-Google creates Information Super-highway – jointly establish Wi-Fi Hotspots at 400 Stations

RailTel-Google creates Information Super-highway – jointly establish Wi-Fi Hotspots at 400 Stations

 Wi-Fi Hotspots Project undertaken by RailTel in association with Google is almost complete at more than 18 Railway Stations across India, out of total 400, which are declared as Smart Railway Stations by Ministry of Railways

New Delhi: Indian Railways and Google has joined forces to create India’s largest network of free WiFi across 400 railway stations, pan India.

As per the details obtained, first 30 minutes of this service would enable high speed Internet, after which the speed will drop, but the connection remains active.

This special partnership has been named as ‘Project Nilgiri’; and aims to use Google Fiber technology to provide high speed Internet service.

But the masterstroke which Google has played this time is their partnership with RailTel, to access infrastructure and platform. Indian Railways had announced earlier that they are working on a plan to provide WiFi based Internet across 400 railway stations. But now, the plan looks concrete.

Indian Railways in association with RailTel has currently undertaken a pilot project in association with Google under the code name of ‘Project Nilgiri’ under which in phase 1 we will be setting up Wi-Fi hotspots at approximately 400 stations across India over a span of 4 months from now,” said a source requesting anonymity.

RailTel Corporation of India is a public sector unit, having massive access to connectivity and infrastructure. As of now, RailTel’s network passes through 5000 railway stations across India, connecting 63,500 kms of railway track!

RailTel’s optical fiber cable has already been laid across 32,500 kms pan-India; work is in progress for 29,500 kms. As per Wikipedia, RailTel has “state of the art multimedia telecom network using SDH/DWDM-based transmission systems and high end routers for MPLS-IP network.”

The Wi-Fi work has already been executed at Sealdah, Guwahati, Bhubaneswar, Patna Jn., Raipur, Ranchi, Jaipur, Lucknow (NR), Lucknow Jn. (NER), Hazrat Nizamuddin, Allahabad, Gorakhpur Jn., Ernakulam Jn., Kacheguda, Vijayawada, Mumbai Central (Main), Pune and Bhopal Railway Stations

And the best part is that, DoT has already allocated 2.7 GHz band to RailTel for launching broadband and other Internet based services.

Last year, we had reported that Google Fiber may enter in India, promising a dream-come-true speed of 1 GBPS, something which is unheard in India. Reports emerged that Telangana Govt. may roll out Google Fiber services in the state as well. But the biggest problem is licenses for becoming an ISP in India, and Google may not agree to pay billions of dollars for the same. However, after their association with RailTel, the licensing problem may be taken care of; and actual broadband along all the railway tracks and railway stations may now be provided.

Existing ISPs in India like Airtel, Tata DoCoMo and Reliance may find this news somewhat disturbing; as Google and RailTel can make some serious inroads with such a huge infrastructure coverage and technology. This is certainly one of those path-breaking moments for the Indian traveler and Internet user.

Execution Methodology of Wi-Fi Network at Railway Stations by RailTel and Google:

Fiber Switches of make D-Link DGS-3000-28SC were provided by RailTel for deploying at each Foot Over Bridge, Concourse areas and other strategic locations for Platform and Stations Coverage to provide Wi-Fi access.  All fiber switches are inducted into the master ring of fiber switches as per site topography/ requirement and in the Network, all fiber-switches are connected in a ring configuration pattern. The Fiber Switches have been aggregated on the Aggregator Switches (Juniper ACX 2200 Routers) which are supplied and installed by RailTel in its POP locations. RailTel have provisioned dual ACX 2200 Routers for every station which are dual homed with MPLS Routers.  Access switches are PoE enabled and connected to the Fiber switches using fiber and located broadly as detailed in the diagram above, in STAR configuration with the Fiber Switch.  For platform lengths of more than 700 mtrs, a total of 6 nos. of Access Switches were considered. For coverage in concourse areas near the station platforms, APs are connected to the Access Switch collocated with the Fiber switch.

Google have supplied and installed Access Points (Radio) of Cisco Make (IWE 3702) which were PoE enabled and connected to Access Switches using Cat 6 cables (maximum distance should not be more than 90m).  Google supplied 2 nos. of Access Points connected to a Access Switch and depending on the necessity, Google have supplied additional POE Switch in the same rack, alongwith the UPS supplied and installed by Google for uninterrupted Power Supply at each of the Platform/Concourse. Platform UPS are collocated with the Fiber Switch on the Platforms / Foot over Bridges. Overall, Google have supplied Racks for Fiber Switches, Access Switches, Cat-6 Cable for wiring of Access Points from Access Switches and UPS for Fiber Switch and Access Switch, and the POE enabled Access Points and then installed Access Switch racks, APs, laying and connecting of Cat-6 Cables between Access Switches and APs.

RailTel have supplied Fiber Switches and Access Switches and have installed the Fiber Racks supplied by Google and bifurcated the work into two phases – viz. in Phase-I, RailTel have installed the Fiber Racks, UPS, commissioning of Fiber switch ring and connecting UPS Supply to power up Fiber Switches.  In the Phase-II, as per the cable route plan drawings, installed Access Switches in POE racks, which were supplied and installed by Google and provided Optical Fiber connectivity between Fiber and Access switches using BiDi SFPs.  Every Access switch is dual homed with two fiber switches.  The UPS supply is extended to Access Switches.

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Thursday, 2 July 2015

09:53

Digital India: Cisco aims to propel Digital Revolution in Indian Railways with 15 New Products

Digital India: Cisco aims to propel Digital Revolution in Indian Railways with 15 New Products

New Delhi:  Cisco – a Information Technology giant has launched its Internet of Things (IOT) system based on six technology pillars which, when combined together, should help to reduce the complexity of digitalisation for the railway industry.

Within the six pillars, Cisco has also launched 15 new products. These include the IW3702 wireless access point to connect mass transit systems and city WiFi networks, the IR 909 and IR 908 series industrial routers with WiFi and 4G/LTE connectivity, the Mobile IP Gateway for connected rail solutions, and a range of cameras with 360o view for situation awareness and audio and digital sensors.

Cisco estimates that 50 billion devices and objects will be connected to the internet by 2020, even though today more than 99% of objects in the physical world remain unconnected. Digitalisation is complex, and devices and objects are being connected and unrelated networks converged at an increasingly rapid pace. Cisco says that the benefits of these connections can only be realised through the application of advanced data analytics, which often requires the creation of intelligent applications capable of accelerating new business models or increasing productivity.Cisco’s new system is designed to address these challenges. 
The six pillars comprise:

network connectivity including purpose-built routing, switching, and wireless products
fog computing to enable data to be analyzed and manage locally security to unify cyber and physical security ,data analytics management and automation, and an application enablement platform offering a set of APIs to enable users to design, develop and deploy their own applications based on internet of things capabilities.


Cisco Connected Rail solutions help achieve a wide range of Safety, Mobility, and Efficiency objectives:

Keep passengers and employees safe
Provide onboard passenger Wi-Fi, entertainment, live scheduling, high-speed voice and video, and more
Converge multiple networks into a single IP network for greater interoperability, improved communications, simplified management, and lower costs
Meet governmental and industrial safety compliance requirements

 

As rail operators like to introduce new business models and value-added services to increase ridership, one can count on Cisco to deploy highly secure, flexible IP networks. Cisco’s ruggedized routers, switches, access points, and video cameras are being deployed at trackside, in stations, and on trains.

Cisco IOx: Real World Benefits for Railway Industry

Whether it’s a passenger train in a bustling city or a freight train slithering through the mountainside, news of derailment is a tragic story. You may have heard about the fatal train accident in New York City’s Bronxor the recent incident in Philadelphia where a train hauling crude oil was dangling over a river. The US federal government has seen more oil spilled in rail incidents in 2013 than was spilled in the nearly four decades since it began collecting data. The demand for preventative measures is greater than ever.
Train derailment is typically due to equipment failure, specifically in the ball bearings of a wheel. Today, train operators have routine schedules to swap out wheels and engines without fully knowing if the equipment is used beyond repair. Or in worse case scenarios, damaged equipment is not replaced in time to prevent failure and accidents. In addition to performance, train operators face fierce competition from alternative transportation providers and must find ways to offer better amenities and services to retain and attract new passengers.

With Cisco IOx, an 819 router sitting on a freight train can monitor the ball-bearings and monitor the utility of bearing to let you know if its overheating or has worn down to a lower-threshold of useful material. An alert can be sent to the train operator notifying him to pull over at the next available station or to stop and repair the wheel.

Cisco Transportation Smart Solutions for Railways

Cisco Transportation Smart Solution (TSS) for Rail is the underlying architecture for a set of highly secure validated network designs. Cisco’s building-block approach means one can start with any combination of solutions, and add others later. Validated network designs minimize deployment risk and speed time to market. TSS includes Cisco and third-party network products, and Cisco Services designed specifically for rail and mass transit. Today, TSS includes Cisco Connected Rail and Premium Mobile Broadband.

Cisco Connected Rail Resources

Cisco Transportation Smart Solution At-a-Glance and Solution Overview
Cisco Services for Transportation Smart Solution
Cisco Connected Rail At-a-Glance and Solution Overview
Cisco Positive Train Control At-a-Glance and Solution Overview
Cisco Premium Mobile Broadband At-a-Glance and Solution Overview
Cisco Validated Design (CVD)
Cisco Connected Rail Network Architecture
Key Products

Network Connectivity for Rail – Switching

IE 2000 Series Switches
3000 Series and 3010 Series Switches
Embedded Service 2020 Series Switches
2520 Connected Grid Switch
Network Connectivity for Rail – Routing and Mobility

819 Integrated Services Router
Connected Grid Router 2000/2010
Embedded Services Routers – ESR 5915, ESR 5921, ESR 5940
ASR 900 Series Aggregation Services Routers
ASR 1000 Series Aggregation Services Routers
Connected Mobile Experiences
Wireless Access Points for Rail

Aironet 3500 Series Access Points
Connected Safety and Security for Rail

Video Surveillance 6000 Series IP Cameras
Video Surveillance Manager
IP Interoperability and Collaboration System (IPICS)
More Cisco Solutions for Rail

Digital Signs for Stations and Trains
Unified Communications Manager (CallManager)
Debuting the Autonomic Train at Cisco Live

At Cisco Live, the train includes our Cisco IE2000 industrial switches (IP67 and non IP67 versions), Cisco-819 M2M router, our target application hosting server-PC with VSMS and an even smaller application hosting server – a Raspberry PI.

Every car also hosts our ruggedized Cisco-IPVSC-6050 cameras and a demo version of a passenger information system (PIS) with both outside-train LCD and top-of-seat LCD panels. This is built on a Arduino/Linux prototype platform. Cameras and PIS-devices are PoE powered from our switches.

This setup shows how Cisco IOS networking infrastructure can provide an agile platform for in-train convenience applications – PIS, Surveillance, Internet, Media Streaming, etc. With IP connected client devices, these business applications can be built as easily as web applications – and they can equally easily be expanded and adopted to changing requirements. Given how most train operators already use Web development for outside-train applications such as eCommerce/business-process/web presence/ticketing, this makes it easy for them to build out such convenience application in their trains.

A key component of making these business applications work automatically in a train environment is topology awareness of the train: Every time train cars and engines are being put together to form a train, the business applications need to adopt to the new train topology.

The PIS shows on every car the right logical car number and directions where the beginning and end of train are.  The surveillance application is able to display the right camera for every car. Online seat reservations are equally enabled with this IP connected train technology. PIS display shows how many seats are free in each direction on the train – which is different on every car.

When trains are known to drive in reverse order, renumbering of seats can take place. This renumbering could be intelligent and allows passengers to book a seat in or against the direction of the train, so the seat is guaranteed even when cars are turned around because seats will automatically be renumbered when this happens.

Most of these use case workflows are being shown at Cisco Live with the written demo/prototype application: purely web based, browser on a tablet as the user interface for passengers and train personnel.

To make the development of such convenience applications easier, we leverage a new common cross-market segment software architecture in IOS that is today unique to Cisco.

Autonomic Networking (AN). AN is already shipping on Service Provider IOS platforms and is currently being integrated into the IE and enterprise switch platforms to ship later in 2014/early 2015. Autonomic Networking is bundled within Cisco’s overall “Plug & Play” Software architecture. The core benefits of our Autonomic Networking infrastructure software are secure zero touch device/network bootstrap and automatically built reliable connectivity for ongoing provisioning, monitoring and troubleshooting. AN also enables intelligent autonomic network wide services.

The Autonomic Topology service is one of the first intelligent network-wide services that we plan to ship: Talking only to a single device in the network, a business application can retrieve the full topology of the (train) network including all the relevant information about connected client devices such as cameras or PIS client devices. This topology information is even available when parts of the network are either configured incorrectly, or not configured at all.
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Friday, 26 June 2015

22:48

RailTel to expand WiFi Services at all the Railway Stations across India through RailWire

RailTel to expand WiFi Services at all the Railway Stations across India through RailWire

New Delhi: Free Internet usage sounds great if you are traveling across country via trains. RailWire brand which is already providing its broadband services is now all get set to provide its wifi services across country’s rail platforms very soon. Although public is already started availing its services in New Delhi as well as Banglore railway stations, public can use free wifi for initial half an hour while they step into platform after registering themselves and after that they have to buy token to avail further services.

India at very fast pace moving towards making itself digitally sound. Concept initiated by PM Modi has boomed techno industry and created its importance across various verticals at large scale. Recently, Railtel Corporation has also signed MOU with metro services to provide its WiFi services which would be implemented in 6 months and travelers would be able to avail quality internet speed.

It has positioned itself to realize the vision to connect people while keeping securable services in mind and ensured to leverage their telecom infrastructure to enable all citizens and businesses, both in rural & urban areas, to participate in the internet & web economy. Wifi services will be delivered to villages, panchayats, homes, SMB’s, tourist places, tier2 and tier3 cities, educational, healthcare and entertainment verticals very soon.

The authorities stated, “Security is one of the important things we need to watch at very step and hence we are making sure that wifi services will provided to registered IP address only to make data usage safe for users.”  Also, organization has collaborated with market players such as cable operators, SCOs to reach masses.

As per government of India’s stated aim, RailWire is all set to contribute to goals such as to provide affordable & reliable wifi-on- demand broadband-on-demand by the year 2015, to provide high speed & high quality broadband access by 2020 to all village-panchayats, villages & habitations, enable e-governance in key sectors like Health, Education, Skill Development, Employment, Governance and Banking to ensure equitable & inclusive growth.

Currently RailWire has been set up int the cities/towns covering length and breadth of the country i.e. Secunderabad, Agra, Mysore, Dindigul, Bangalore, Hospet, Varanasi, Gurgaon, Kolkata, Chennai, Patna, Ambala, Lucknow, Meerut, Allahabad, Sahibzada Ajit Singh Nagar, New Delhi, Bhubaneswar, Visakhapatnam, Kakkanad, Guwahati, Belgaum, Tirupati, Bangalore Urban, Satna, Kanpur, Ernakulam, Shoranur, Chandigarh, Hubli, Ludhiana, Noida, Jaipur, Ahmedabad, Thiruvananthapuram, Indore, Ranchi and Mumbai.  RailTel is planning to spread RailWire’s reach to every village and panchayat in the vicinity of Railway areas shortly.
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Thursday, 18 June 2015

20:15

The Group of Mobile App to serve Railway Passengers, customer-friendly

Railway Systems in India has turned into a tech-savvy, customer-friendly, Finally!

The Group of Mobile App to serve Railway Passengers

The Railway system in India is on a major innovations spree. From promising cleaner coaches and toilets to offering some serious dining variety, here’s how the government is making travelling by train cool again.

Clean-My-Coach App:

Fewer cockroaches onboard is always a good thing, we think. Long-distance train travelling is about to get more hygienic with this newly launched app which promises to get train coaches (and soiled toilets) cleaned in under 15 minutes. The app will allow travellers to file complaints online, which will be routed to the on-board housekeeping staff for quick remedying.

RISSTA App:

RISSTA (Railway interactive Security Solution for Travelers Assistance) – An Android mobile application for security of MMTS passengers of twin cities (Secunderabad & Hyderabad) was launched on 4th June, 2015. The utility of this App by MMTS passengers met with many positive results. On 9.6.2015 at 09.01 hrs. help button of RISSTA App was activated by a passenger named Shri Anil, Cell No. 9866123593 travelling in General Coach of Tr.No. 47176 (Lingampally-Falaknuma MMTS) when the train was passing Hi-Tech City Railway Station. Immediately, a message was automatically conveyed to next 3 MMTS stations. At Bharathnagar MMTS Railway station Sri. K.S.Naidu, Home Guard of RPF rushed to the passenger. The passenger made complaint that some persons are staying at doorways obstructing free movement of passengers while boarding / detraining. The persons standing at doorways were cleared at 09.05 hrs and the complainant sent a feedback through RISSTA App that “Escort attended at Bharathnagar”. In yet another incident, on 11.6.2015 at 18.11 hrs. help button of RISSTA App was activated by a passenger by name Shri Arun, Cell No. 9059638854, travelling in General Coach of Tr.No. 47163 (Falaknuma-Lingampally MMTS) while the train was passing Borabonda MMTS Railway station. Immediately, a message was conveyed to next 3 MMTS stations i.e Hi-tech City, Hafizpet and Chandanagar. At Hafizpet Railway station Shri.Ch.Sathya, Home Guard, rushed to the passenger. The passenger made complaint that some persons are standing at doorways obstructing free movement of passengers while boarding/detraining. The persons standing at doorways were cleared at 18.20 hrs. and the complainant sent a feedback via message that “Thanks. Your staff attended the train at Hafizpet”.

Google Maps App:

Google Transit, a feature in Google Maps, helps in planning public transport trips efficiently, and is available through Google Maps app on any Android or iOS device, as well as on the desktop. So, for example if you are traveling from Delhi to Hyderabad to visit your relatives. just open Google Maps on Android or iOS or your desktop PC and type the destination address. Google Transit will intelligently tell you, whether you should take a Metro or a bus to nearest Railway Station. It will also tell you the earliest and best train schedule for traveling to Hyderabad. And, it will let you know which kind of public transport to take after your reach Hyderabad to reach your destination. In short, it will give you full directions from point A to point B, across various transportation means including buses, Metro’s and Railways.

UTS On Mobile App for Android, Windows to buy tickets

Fulfilling yet another commitment of the Railway Budget 2015-16, the Minister of Railways Shri Suresh Prabhakar Prabhu launched Mobile Application for Paperless Unreserved Ticketing through video conferencing on Egmore–Tambaram Suburban Section of Chennai, at a function here today. This is a pilot project covering 15 stations in Southern Railway and will be extended to entire country in phases. Referring his Railway Budget announcement, the Railway Minister said that for the passenger, the Indian Railways is committed to ‘Operation Five Minutes’ – that is, purchase of an unreserved ticket within five minutes and today’s launching of Paperless Unreserved Mobile Ticket is the first step in this area. He said that it will allow the passenger to buy a ticket on the move and allow him or her to board the train with the ticket secured on his or her mobile phone, without any need for printing the ticket. Shri Suresh Prabhu commended all the members of CRIS to develop the Paperless Unreserved Ticketing Mobile Application and hoped for speedy implementation of other IT projects in the pipeline. The railway Minister said that the innovative ideas are always welcome and said that he has set up ‘Kayakalp’ Council which will consider innovative ideas for the betterment of Indian Railways.

Metro Mitra:

Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Ltd and Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on 24th April 2015 to jointly work for the development of a comprehensive Mobile Application for Transport information in Bangalore for the use of general public. The Mobile application will provide information about Metro routes, timings, fare and facilities like parking places, retail outlets and other amenities available in Metro stations. The application is also envisaged to include information about bus transport for multimodal trip planning for the urban commuters.

Cash on delivery:

Launched in Feburary this year, the railways introduced their ‘cash on delivery’ service exclusively for online ticketing, aimed at those passengers without access to net-banking facilities, a debit or credit card. Democracy lives, y’all.

Food catering by McDonald’s:

You can leave the theplas at home. In a January 2015 announcement, the gorvernment set new guidelines permitting all express and mail trains (that provide pantry car services) to start catering coronary-inducing ‘ready-to-eat’ meals from McDonald’s and Delhi’s cult favourite Nirula’s as add-on options.

Free WiFi:

Free WiFi will no longer be limited to luxury tourist trains. The Indian Railways, giving priority to express trains such as Rajdhani, Shatabdi and Duronto, is set to provide WiFi facilities to over 400 railway stations (in the initial phase). Kick-starting this initiative was Bangalore Railway Station in October last year, with Ahmedabad following suit in January. Plans are on to extend free WiFi internet facility to at least a dozen long-distance trains and major city stations in the country.

Convert waitlisted train tickets to airline tickets:

Buy a train ticket and fly? The IRCTC has tied-up with budget airline carrier GoAir, offering passengers the option to get their waitlisted train tickets converted to airline tickets. At a competitive fare, of course. Over 100 passengers have used this service since it launched last month. That’s 100 people who were smarter than you…
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