Objectives of the service
Friilink is an integrated service platform, designed to optimize the availability and capacity of connectivity on the move and provide value-added services to intercity and long-distance coaches, trains and urban bus market. The Friilink equipment is composed by an on-board computer and an outdoor communication terminal that is installed on the top of the vehicles to guarantee simultaneous connectivity to terrestrial and satellite networks. Friilink services include:
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Broadband access onboard buses and coaches for passengers transportation.
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Streaming of high quality video to and from the vehicles: passengers video streaming services, video for security on board vehicles, remote monitoring of operational machines
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Storage and retrieval of large quantity of data for specific applications (video advertisements, update of multimedia content on board, maps with user data, vehicles telemetry, etc.
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Fleet and machines geolocalisation, remote monitoring, fleet management and optimization of operations, driver behaviour, remote support for autonomous machines, etc.
Users and their needs
The main users of the connectivity system are the passengers travelling in the buses. For the other professional features, the users are the bus operators.
The main users currently involved in the in the activity are: WiiBus (France), Groupo Alsa (Spain), Ubix (Mexico). The commercial effort is already ongoing through the partnership established with WiiBus (www.wiibus.com). The needs of the users are:
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Widely improved coverage of all the operational areas (often remote and not, or not well, covered by terrestrial network) and Quality of Service for passengers and telematics applications.
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Monetization of connectivity through advertising and sponsoring from content providers.
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Reduction of operational costs through monitoring of the fleet and optimization of the operations.
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Specific interfaces for on board computers and on board applications
Service/ system concept
The Friilink Mobile solution provides to ground transportation/operative vehicles an integrated service platform boosted by the best available connectivity service with a gateway capable of connecting simultaneously to multiple terrestrial and satellite networks (LEO). The addition of Mobile Satellite Communication Services allows providing broadband in the areas where terrestrial networks are weak or absent. However, a satellite communication system only will suffer in urban areas due to canyoning effects from signal blockages by high buildings. The combination of the two networks in a single device provides the best possible response and allow to optimize the performances and the cost of the service in the various regions of the world.
The Friilink integrated service platform offers a single turnkey solution to fleet operators for: passengers’ broadband connectivity, Smart mobility information (fleet management, vehicles localization & monitoring, driver behaviour), advertising services, premium content, as well as safety & emergency service. With Friilink, coaches’ passengers will be able to connect to their preferred platforms for entertainment (social, audio/video streaming) and work (shared documents, videoconferences) wherever they are in their trip.
Space Added Value
LEO Satellite communications bring improved coverage (10-15%) and quality of service with latency comparable to ground networks. In countries like Brazil and Mexico satcom is a real enabler as the cellular coverage is often not existing along bus routes (up to 50% of the routes) where neither the driver nor the passengers are connected. The existing Starlink commercial satellites delivering broadband communications services is used as baseline to provide an improved coverage and quality of service for the ground transportation vehicles. Other LEO satcom system can be integrated in Friilink, as they become available in the market, based on quality and price competitivity analysis.
Current Status
The project has started this quarter (1st April 2024) and the Friilink team has reviewed the Business Plan to updated it with latest market information. In parallel, and using the Business Plan as a reference, Friilink team has conducted 3 user workshops to review User Requirements and gather input to align our work as closely as possible with the latest market needs. The team has also completed the definition of User Requirements and System Requirements The outcome of these tasks has been documented in the Requirements Document (RD). The Baseline version of the System and Service Architecture has been completed and described in the Service and System Architecture (SSA) document. The initial version of the System Validation Plan has been released. The Friilink team has also completed the integration of the physical system that is used for the development of the custom software of the platform.
Prime Contractor(s)
