A CONSORTIUM has been established to study the implementation of open standards for the provision of broadband internet access on trains, aircraft and ships.
Launched on January 1, Mobile Wideband Global Link System (Mowgly) is a two-year project to carry out business analysis, engineering studies and performance evaluation of satellite-based communications. The European Commission is providing €6·7m of the €12·6m cost. The consortium will develop an open approach to broadband access rather than rely on proprietary standards. There will be an evaluation of the use of DVB-S2 and DVB-RCS standards, which have not been assessed in mobile applications. Mowgly will validate prototype technology, and will gauge demand for mobile broadband access, as well as technical problems and commercial uses.
’People want an easy, cheap and reliable method of receiving their e-mails or searching the web when they are away from the home and office’, said Broadreach Networks CEO Magnus McEwan-King.
The partners in Mowgly are project leader Alcatel, Airbus Deutschland, Alstom, Broadreach Networks, Eutelsat, Ineco, MBI, Orbit Communication, PointShot Wireless, Rockwell Collins France, TeS Teleinformatica e Sistemi, TriaGnoSys, the University of Surrey and Video & Suono Telecom.
