UK: O2 wins Network Rail deal

O2 has won a contract with Network Rail (these are the guys that own, and operate, the rail infrastructure in the UK) – the deal is to provide the corporate voice, data, and BlackBerry mobile email. This is apparently O2′s biggest corporate win, and to give you some idea of the scale of things, it will be over 23,000 accounts transferring over!

O2 will be working to develop mobile solution to assist NR with their management of the railways – as a regular commuter myself, I can tell you that Rail is one of the most challenging environments to provide consistent services for, due to the rapidly changing (and signal-defeating) conditions experienced – my Nokia registers “no coverage”, “no data”, GPRS, EDGE, 3G, and 3.5G during my trips – a good example of how the rail line cuts through mobile network cells.

I am going to say it again, but O2 knows how to do things in the UK – I’m a subscriber myself, and they consistently provide a better user experience, compared to any other network – just because I can, they get the Ben Rating (again) of:

5 stars! Well done O2! Again!

[Via: Mobile Marketing Magazine]

About The Author

Ben Robinson

Ben is a 10+ year veteran of the Mobile industry – starting his career when SMS was a still a relatively new concept for most people (!), he has now consulted on everything from bleeding-edge Mobile content, to the next-gen accessories you might view it on. As a result he has a broad and deep knowledge in numerous areas of Mobile – from network operators to device vendors, to infrastructure and middleware vendors (not to mention content delivery) – and has worked for companies in all of these areas! He is based in the UK, a hotbed of activity for mobile, and recently became a father for the second time – as oppose to in his younger years when he was happy spend time tweaking all manner of mobile devices to 'nth' degree, he now looks for services and hardware that provide the most efficient, compact, and reliable improvements to his already manic life! It’s his opinion that Mobile solutions should be there to help to make your life better – if a particular solution (be it service or device) isn’t doing this, he believes you need to ask the very important question of why you continue to use it... His focus at IntoMobile is mainly on Mobile content, services, and infrastructure, particularly as regards the UK market – and with the occasional look at devices. Additionally, using his extensive experience in the industry, he will provide commentary on the industry at large, with regular (and hopefully thought-provoking) articles.

Chris P

I agree that o2 are a great network however their data rates are absolutely atrocious! I was with them from BT Cellnet days, up until last year then Tmobile started web and walk – ie ‘unlimited’ data – o2 are nowhere near competing – and with a smartphone unlimited data is extremely important.
bazza

Ben, i do hope you are actively checking the other providers for similar cool stuff and not just staying blinkered to O2 cos you’re a subscriber. You know, just to keep a fair playing field.

BTW, i use t-mobile and their coverage while on my rail journeys are excellent, even on my recent trip to Scotland though lots of greenbelt land. Even the fabulous Web n Walk was very much active.

Bazza rating: *****

If you’re to be believed, I’d say its good seeing O2 improve alot since i was last with them 2 years ago. O2 AND 3 are certainly making great strides.
Ben Robinson

Happy to cover any and all networks – I just think O2 must have a lot better PR than the others, since their stories are the ones I run in to frequently!

I’m glad T-Mobile is good for you – in a similar vein to what you say, I hope they have come along a lot since I last gave one of their sims/phones a go

3 are doing a great job too – for my money, miles ahead in content and portal!

Ben
Anon

Ben

This was announced internally at Network Rail a little while ago. Almost al the numbers will be porting from Vodafone, except for those in out-of-coverage O2 areas.

The developing “mobile solution to assist NR with their management of the railways” bit may well relate to integrating O2 cells with the GSM-R rollout. This amounts to pretty much a new national trackside mobile network being delivered by NR Telecoms, to allow signallers to communicate directly with train drivers.

Cheers