Edinburgh Trams is joining forces with Edinburgh Napier University to provide seamless digital connectivity for students, researchers, and staff.
The operator already offers free internet access along the network, but with the rollout of international service eduroam on board its trams, they will be able to use even faster wireless broadband as they return to campus this month.
Available across the world, eduroam is used as a secure, standard Wi-Fi network at institutions throughout the UK – meaning those from other universities and colleges will also benefit.
The pilot scheme enables anyone with eduroam to connect to the internet while travelling by tram, by logging into a single Wi-Fi profile using their educational ID.
Doug Curry, Edinburgh Trams IT Manager, commented:
We’re delighted to be one of the first public transport organisations to extend the reach of eduroam in Edinburgh.
The system has fantastic potential as it allows students and academic staff who may struggle with high data costs to get online and work wherever and whenever they need to.
With millions of users worldwide, eduroam is at the forefront of efforts to provide digital support for the world’s academic community when visiting education institutions and further information about the system can be found here.
Claire Taylor, Edinburgh Napier University’s Director of Information Services, said:
Whether it's checking emails after landing at the airport or catching up with course materials between home and campus, we hope this will make a positive difference to the student experience we offer at Edinburgh Napier, while also benefiting visiting students and staff of any eduroam-connected organisation globally.
This pilot scheme is something Edinburgh Napier University and Edinburgh Trams have been working on for some time. Making eduroam available on board will allow free, seamless, and secure access to the internet and we are delighted to have enabled this across all trams.
We would like to thank Edinburgh Trams for buying into the idea of us creating a more accessible, connected, smart city through this initiative - and for making it happen.
With our ENU-branded tram taking people across Edinburgh during the summer, it is a great time to be able to bring another valuable addition to the city’s transport network.