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Vy Selects Icomera and GoMedia for Bergen Line Wi-Fi and Entertainment Contracts

18 November 2021 | Icomera

Norwegian transport operator Vy is upgrading the digital passenger experience for customers travelling between Oslo and Bergen. Icomera, a subsidiary of EQUANS, and its newly-acquired business unit GoMedia have been awarded the contracts to provide Passenger Wi-Fi and the onboard entertainment portal.

Vy Group (formally NSB), is one of the largest transport groups in the Nordic region. The Bergen Line runs over the highlands between the two largest cities in Norway, Oslo and Bergen. It offers one of the most spectacular scenic travel experiences in Europe but unfortunately also suffers from limited cellular coverage and capacity.

Acknowledging that passenger expectations could no longer be met by the Wi-Fi equipment that had previously been installed, Vy embarked on a rigorous procurement process to find both a new Wi-Fi supplier and a complementary entertainment solution.

The winning Wi-Fi solution from Icomera will utilise the latest iteration of its SureWAN™ connectivity protocol, intelligently connecting Vy’s trains to cellular towers along the Bergen Line route. By maximising the available cellular coverage and aggregating the available cellular capacity, Icomera will provide a faster, more reliable Wi-Fi experience for Vy’s passengers.

GoMedia, the world’s leading provider of infotainment for public transport, will supplement Icomera’s Passenger Wi-Fi with its onboard information and entertainment technology making use of both Icomera’s Wi-Fi network and hardware. The content behind GoMedia’s entertainment solution is securely uploaded to the onboard Icomera hardware so does not require an external Internet connection – freeing up more of the available bandwidth for passengers using the Wi-Fi for “digital chores” (emails and social media etc.).

Torsten John, SVP EMEA, at Icomera explains: “The custom designed system architecture for the Bergen Line fleet is based around the Icomera X³ (Rail) multi-modem mobile connectivity and applications gateway. The Wi-Fi and entertainment content is delivered to passengers through Icomera SynAPse Access Points installed in every carriage. Every component in the chain has been designed to comfortably meet the data-heavy requirements of passengers in every coach of the train”.

Roger Matthews, Managing Director of GoMedia added: “Vy will benefit from the holistic approach to the contemporary digital passenger experience that has arisen from Icomera’s acquisition of GoMedia in September last year”.

Linda Kragseth, Head of Customer and Product Development at Vy: “We are shaping our business around our customers’ needs in order to deliver the best journey and work hard to make it easy to travel in an environmentally friendly way and use public transportation. The digital passenger experience delivered by Icomera and GoMedia will advance us further along our smarter, greener, safer, and more profitable journey”.

Installation work started in Spring 2021, with the roll-out across 72 VY train coaches due to be completed in December 2021.

Note to Editors


About Icomera

Icomera is the world’s leading provider of integrated connectivity solutions for trains, trams, buses and coaches. serving millions of passengers and tens of thousands of onboard systems on a daily basis. We deliver the fastest, most reliable and secure Internet connection available to a moving vehicle, supporting a wide range of digital applications which increase passenger satisfaction, enhance operational efficiency, and improve safety and security. Our solutions make transport more attractive for passengers and part of a smarter, safer, greener future for everyone, accelerating the transition towards a carbon-neutral world. A wholly owned subsidiary of EQUANS,  Icomera is headquartered in Gothenburg, Sweden, with main offices in the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, the United States, and Canada.

Find out more at www.icomera.com

About Vy

The Vy Group, formerly Norges Statsbaner (NSB) and formerly branded internationally as the Norwegian State Railways, is one of the largest transport groups in the Nordic countries. The company is owned by the Norwegian government and its Ministry of Transport and Communications. For more information, visit https://www.vy.no/en/

About EQUANS

EQUANS is the world leader in multi-technical services, with 74,000 employees in 17 country hubs and an annual turnover of over 12 billion euros. EQUANS designs, installs and provides customised solutions to improve the technical equipment, systems and processes of its clients and to optimise their use through their energy, industrial and digital transitions. Thanks to a strong territorial footprint through historical local brands and excellent technical know-how in their clients’ businesses, EQUANS' highly-qualified experts are able to support territories, cities, industries, and buildings in HVAC (heating, ventilation and air conditioning), Cooling and Fire protection, Facility Management, Digital & ICT, Electrical, Mechanical & Robotics.

EQUANS is the number one company on the main European markets (France, Belgium, the Netherlands and the UK) and is also well ranked in the US and in Latin America. EQUANS is a separate entity of ENGIE.

About ENGIE

We are a leading world group that provides low-carbon energy and services. With our 170,000 employees, our clients, our partners and our stakeholders, we strive every day to act to accelerate the transition towards a carbonneutral economy, through reduced energy consumption and more environmentally friendly solutions. Guided by our purpose statement, we reconcile economic performance with a positive impact on people and the planet, using our expertise in our key business areas (gas, renewable energies, services) to provide competitive solutions to our clients. Turnover in 2020: 55.8 billion Euros. Listed on the Paris and Brussels stock exchanges (ENGI), the Group is represented in the main financial indices (CAC 40, Euronext 100, FTSE Eurotop 100, MSCI Europe) and extrafinancial indices (DJSI World, DJSI Europe, Euronext Vigeo Eiris - Eurozone 120 / Europe 120 / France 20, MSCI EMU ESG, MSCI Europe ESG, Stoxx Europe 600 ESG, and Stoxx Global 1800 ESG)