GENEVA, Oct. 18 (Xinhua) -- Swiss residents say there is not much for free in the country, but the Federal Railways SBB said Thursday it will start introducing free internet surfing based on 3G/4G mobile coverage on trains by the end of next year.
The State-owned company outlined plans to increase connection coverage across its rail network and in its many tunnels.
The rail operator will test a new technology next year on the Zurich-Geneva, St Gallen-Lausanne and Basel-Biel routes, which will allow users to surf for free with better bandwidth than WLAN.
It says this will also better allow for 5G coverage on trains in the future, particularly when combined with new laser perforated windows on trains.
Mobile hotspots will be provided for tourists using mobile phones without a SIM card.
"The aim is to offer free internet on all SBB long-distance trains from 2020," the Swiss Federal Railway company said.
In 2013, the first train stations were equipped with WLAN, and internet connectivity on the rail system has improved since then, with 97 percent network coverage currently, Swissinfo, the website of the national broadcaster reported.
The railways' company said it plans to increase coverage to 99 percent by 2020.
Trains are being fitted with amplifiers to boost signal strength while all tunnels should be equipped with 4G coverage by 2022.
On its international service routes, the company says it will install WLAN for passengers throughout journeys to neighboring countries.
