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Eurotunnel introduces 4G mobile services for passengers travelling from Folkestone to Coquelles, France

09:01, 19 December 2014

Millions of travellers on the Channel Tunnel will be able to watch streamed videos and download and share data as easily as at home following the introduction of 4G mobile services, Eurotunnel says.

The Chunnel operator said 4G will give people data download speeds up to 10 times faster than the existing 3G network which enabled phone calls to be made and received.

With the upgrade to 4G, travellers will now be able to listen to music, watch videos, and download and share data on phones or tablets 100m below the sea as easily as when using their home broadband, officials said.

Eurotunnel has reported record freight traffic in September. Picture: Daniel Berehulak/Getty Images
Eurotunnel has reported record freight traffic in September. Picture: Daniel Berehulak/Getty Images

Eurotunnel has been working with EE, O2, Vodafone and Bouygues Telecom to bring the upgraded service to travellers making the 35-minute trip from Folkestone and France on Le Shuttle and high-speed passenger trains.

Michel Boudoussier, Eurotunnel’s chief operating officer, said: “This new service means we can offer our customers incredible connectivity and astonishing access to mobile services, bringing better information for passengers, allowing them to remain operational and make their journey a real opportunity to relax.”

To mark the launch of 4G in the Chunnel, a live concert by French pop-rock group Archimede was broadcast from a Shuttle travelling at nearly 90mph.

It comes as the operator also revealed it broke a new record for the number of trucks it carried in a week.

It took 36,285 in both directions between Folkestone and Coquelles from Monday, December 8 to Sunday, December 14.

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