Upgrade of the mobile signal repeaters on Pendolino Fleet of Trains - Proof of Concept

Tender description

FTWCR (Avanti West Coast) is investigating the opportunity to upgrade the mobile signal repeaters on our Pendolino fleet. To help with the ongoing connectivity program at Avanti West Coast we are looking to enhance the experience to allow customers to have the ability to make voice calls as well as use their personal data whilst onboard our trains. We are therefore engaging with the market to test our assumptions and explore the range of products, functionality and integrations that could support our business Lot 1: Avanti West Coast (AWC) is investigating the opportunity to upgrade the mobile signal repeaters on our Pendolino fleet. The new system must cover at least the bandwidths which are available today plus the inclusion of 5G. As a minimum this will need to be able to work on the current supported networks of EE, O2 and Vodafone. While this is for a Proof Of Concept with respect to a 9 car Pendolino, if successful then we would look at progressing further to a full fleet rollout. The Pendolino fleet comprises of: • 9 car trains = 21 = 189 carriages • 11 car trains = 35 = 385 carriage o total 574 carriages We are engaging with the market to test our assumptions and explore the range of products, functionality and integrations that could support our business. We are also interested in the time and cost constraints that are allocated to the deployment of such solutions. Through better understanding the market capability, it will support the internal review of the requirement to support the development of a business case. Additional information: It is the intention of AWC to install the new repeaters on one train as a POC and trial this for 6 months to see the benefits it will bring to AWC customer service and satisfaction. If successful, we will then return with the benefits from the POC trial to further the rollout across the fleet.