Nomad on IT’s travel to Sweden

Mar 1 2008 by Andrew Mernin, The Journal

INTERNET provider Nomad Digital is taking its technology on the road to Scandinavia.

The Newcastle-based company will provide WiFi broadband connection to buses in the Swedish capital of Stockholm.

The project, which will initially run as a six-week trial, will connect customers on the one-hour Stockholm to Norrtalje 676 route to travel information, breaking news and the internet while travelling.

Nomad chief executive Graeme Lowdon said he expects the pilot to prove a success with the project being rolled out soon after.

He said: “Our system has been operating effectively on a number of train routes for nearly three years now and on the UK’s West Coast Main Line and we are building the largest WiMax rail network in the world.

“We welcome this opportunity to show that it is equally effective on buses and offers not only an enhanced and more secure travel experience for passengers, but also considerable commercial benefits to operating companies.”

If the pilot scheme does materialise into a concrete deal for Nomad, it will mark the latest in a string of international contracts for the firm.

Last year the company launched its WiFi service on the Heathrow Express train and, among a raft of overseas deals, the company also installed a broadband connection on a train in the US’s Silicon Valley.

Meanwhile the firm is also in the running for up to five railway contracts in the Middle East, with one deal expected to be signed as early as this week.