SINGAPORE--SBS Transit has introduced wireless Internet connectivity for commuters using public transport in the country.
The public bus service provider said that since July, a bus on its service 175 has been equipped with the wireless Internet connection.
Neo Eng Hoe, vice president of corporate information technology, ComfortDelGro, said this wireless network is supported by mobile broadband connectivity powered by a USB modem. ComfortDelGro is the parent company of SBS Transit.
An access point (AP) is installed in the bus, together with routers, allowing Internet coverage for both single- and double-deck buses, Neo told ZDNet Asia in an interview.
Utilizing a 3.5G high-speed downlink packet access (HSDPA) protocol, the network is stable enough to continuously support the wireless connection along the journey.
Network access is available to anyone on the bus with a Wi-Fi enabled device as the system is programmed to broadcast the service set identifier (SSID) to them. Commuters do not need an authentication key to connect to the network, according to Neo.
SBS did all the programming and developed all other processes in-house, while installation of the equipment was undertaken by a contractor.
Neo highlighted two key challenges to implementing this wireless network.
First, as the driver starts up the engine, there might be a power surge. Thus the team had to consider interruption in the power supply. To "protect" the equipment, the power supply to them is regulated, he said.
Second is the need to "cushion" the equipment as there might be shocks and impacts along the journey. Therefore, no hard disks are used in this project so as to prevent damage from shocks.
The team also built the wireless network in a way that does not interfere with the other network on which the ez-link card readers operate on the busses. Ez-link is a contactless smart card used for the payment of public transport fares in Singapore.
There is potential for wireless connectivity on the company's other buses too, according to Neo, but SBS is still exploring this.
Based in Singapore, Konrad Foo is an intern with ZDNet Asia.
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Public transport goes wireless in S'pore
May all bus be equipped with Wifi Internet connenctivity!
Posted by Geo on Monday, September 07 2009 10:27 AM