Nomad Digital awarded contract to upgrade Italo fleet with 5G internet on-board solution

Credit: Italo

Nomad Digital, leading specialists in transport connectivity solutions, has been awarded a contract to upgrade the existing fleet of Italo AGV and EVO Pendolino high-speed trains with its Internet On-Board (IOB) 5G solution.

The contract includes the initial upgrading of all 51 high-speed trains, operating across Italy and which allows passengers to enjoy productive travelling time and also the opportunity to access entertainment content via Nomad Digital’s On Board Portal (Engage). In addition, Nomad Digital will provide operation and maintenance services for the Internet On-Board solution. This includes monitoring, reporting and train intervention services as part of an ongoing customer support function.

The decision to select Nomad Digital was the result of a competitive and successful proof of concept process which ran for a three-month period. Participants were assigned an EVO Pendolino train to submit for testing and competitors were assessed against a range of criteria including technical performance, passenger experience and financials.

Since the deployment of the new solution began in early 2025 (31 of the total of 51 trains have now already been equipped), Nomad Digital have already been able to help Italo to deliver some significant improvements to its WiFi, including improved data speeds and download speeds.  Download speeds have increased by 460% and web page load times have reduced by 79%. More importantly, in parallel with this, Italo has seen the number of connected users and customer satisfaction levels increase.

“The award of this contract is a great success for Nomad Digital and demonstrates our strengthened position in an important region for us.” said Emmanuel Henry, Managing Director of Nomad Digital. “The integration of our 5G solution across the whole Italo fleet and the continued operations and maintenance support reinforces our relationship with Italo. We are proud to be chosen by Italo and to support their pursuit of a customer focused strategy to provide high performance connectivity and an outstanding passenger experience.”

Luca Chiti, Head of new projects for the Operations Division of Italo said, “We are delighted to continue our relationship with Nomad Digital. We believe they are best placed to deliver the innovative connectivity technology and knowledge we need to deliver the best possible WiFi related services for our customers. We have already seen a significant improvement as we make progress towards our goal of providing a truly customer focused travel experience.” 

Nomad Digital are attending the BWCS Train Communication Systems 2025, WiFi on Trains Conference where they will be speaking together with Italo about the integration of this 5G solution.

To learn more about Nomad Digital’s connectivity suite and how it can transform rail operations contact: [email protected], or visit nomad-digital.com.