Tips for Better Internet on Swiss Trains

Whether to check the latest news, watch a video, answer emails, or prepare for their workday, many of Switzerland’s residents use their phones, tablets, and laptops while traveling by train.

But depending on which line you are traveling on, your Internet connection can be very unstable. Mobile data may slow to a snail’s pace. Videos become pixelated to the point of being unwatchable.

While you may not be able to close gaps in network coverage or expand your network’s capacity, there are a few tricks you can pull to bypass some common problems.

Why do I often experience poor Internet connectivity when riding on trains?

There are a number of reasons for poor network coverage on trains:

• Network coverage: Providing steady Internet connections to train passengers is a challenge for mobile network operators, as it requires constructing sufficient antennas along the railway line. The process of obtaining licenses to put up these mobile beacons is relatively difficult in Switzerland.
• Capacity bottlenecks: The antennas along railway lines provide mobile signals both the surrounding towns and cities and the passing trains. When a fully-occupied train drives by, the capacity of an antenna may not be sufficient to provide all users with fast Internet connections.
• The movement of the train: Trains move quickly between zones served by different mobile beacons. Your phone has to constantly switch between different network cells. These handovers can create connectivity gaps. There are many railway lines which only serve two trains every 15 or 30 minutes. No trains pass in the meantime, so mobile networks are hardly used to full capacity during those gaps. That sets railroads apart from highways, which have a fairly continuous flow of traffic and steady mobile network demand.
• Topology: Switzerland’s many mountains and hills also pose challenges to providing stable mobile connections to railway passengers. Many Swiss railway tunnels (including the famous Lötschberg and Gotthard tunnels) are equipped with cable-based networks that ensure fast mobile Internet for train passengers. But there are many other railway tunnels in Switzerland that do not have that kind of infrastructure. As a result, you may experience network interruptions when passing through those tunnels.  

The three Swiss mobile network operators, Swisscom, Sunrise, and Salt, all face the same challenge of providing network coverage to train passengers. You can test out different mobile networks to see if it has better coverage. Simply get prepaid mobile SIMs from providers that use the other mobile networks and test them along your travel routes to see if they have more stable Internet connections.

How can I maximize the stability of my Internet connection when riding on trains?

There are a few tricks that can help improve your mobile Internet connection, or help you continue doing what you are doing in spite of network disturbances.

• Sit near the front: When you are near the front of the train, your phone connects to the next network cell faster than when you sit in the tail wagons. This can result in a faster, more stable Internet connection.
• Travel during off-peak hours: Mobile Internet connections on trains tend to be faster and more stable during periods when the train is emptier. The fewer passengers have to share the available bandwidth, the bigger your share of the bandwidth will be.
• Watch videos in offline mode: Many streaming services – including Netflix, Disney Plus, and Spotify – provide an offline mode. This enables you to download movies and series to your phone before you travel using your home or work Internet, or a public Wi-Fi hotspot. You can then watch videos in perfect quality without interruption while riding on the train, regardless of your mobile data connection.
• Download TV broadcasts in advance: TV media libraries and TV streaming service Teleboy give you the option of downloading broadcasts. If you download the broadcasts you want to watch at home, at work, or while waiting at the train station, you can then watch them in the train, without having to rely on a stable mobile data connection.
• Work offline: Many applications used in the workplace continue to function even when Internet speeds fluctuate. For example, a stable Internet connection is not necessary for writing and editing email messages. The same applies to writing text in a word processor. Even cloud-based applications – like those from Google – still let you continue writing in spite of fluctuating Internet connections.

Do Swiss trains have Wi-Fi hotspots?

No, most trains in Switzerland are not equipped with Wi-Fi hotspots.

International trains that travel between Switzerland and other countries are an exception to this rule. The following cross-border trains provide complimentary Wi-Fi hotspots for passengers:

• ICE (Germany)
• Railjet (Austria)
• TGV Lyria (France)
• Giruno (Switzerland)
• Astoro (Switzerland)

The complimentary Wi-Fi connections on the SBB’s Astoro and Giruno trains are only available for railway connections to and from Germany and Italy.

On ICE, Railjet, and TGV Lyria trains, you also get access to an onboard entertainment system through the Wi-Fi connection. This onboard service includes newspapers, magazines, movies, and podcasts that are stored on a server aboard the train itself.

An advantage of Wi-Fi hotspots on trains, compared to mobile data connections, is that the train connects to the Internet through several different network operators. If the network being used has poor coverage in a certain zone, the Internet connection is automatically moved to a different network. The result is that the Internet runs more stably over these in-train Wi-Fi connections than over a single mobile network.

Do trains in other countries offer Wi-Fi?

While the SBB/CFF does not provide Wi-Fi hotspots in most of its trains, railway operators in some other countries are ahead in this regard.

In many countries, Wi-Fi hotspots on trains became a standard feature a long time ago. These hotspots are also readily available to tourists – including travelers from Switzerland. Many long-distance buses and even some local railways, subways, trams, and buses offer free Wi-Fi hotspots.

More information:
Compare Swiss mobile plans now
Compare Swiss home Internet connections now
How to save money on Swiss public transportation
How to get online while flying