After years of anticipation, SNCF has rolled out free Wi-Fi on its high-speed TGVs, beginning today on the Paris-Lyon line. The service, branded 'TGV Connect,' will expand in 2017 to routes serving Marseille, Bordeaux, Strasbourg, Lille, and Rennes. By 2020, SNCF commits to providing access to 90% of TGV travelers.
To deliver reliable connectivity at speeds up to 300 km/h, SNCF partnered with Orange, leveraging its 4G network. Over 200 relay antennas have been installed along tracks every 2-3 kilometers for seamless coverage. Signals are converted to Wi-Fi via antennas in train bar cars and distributed through onboard fiber optics. The full rollout requires 18,000 antennas, 124 km of fiber, and an investment of around 100 million euros. While the Wi-Fi is free, data is capped: first-class passengers get 1 GB, and second-class travelers receive 200-500 MB.
