NEC debuts Litebird mobile router for high-speed access on the road

We spend more time than we like on commuter trains, and we've gotten used to the vagaries of wireless access on the move. Though solutions like EV-DO and EDGE are adequate, we still long for the kind of reliable, sustained connection that makes you forget you're sitting in a sardine can. While T-Mobile has started hooking up London-bound commuter trains, it looks like the next big step is coming from — no surprise — Japan, where the trains are faster, cleaner and are actually used by a majority of commuters. NEC is working on a new mobile router, the Litebird, designed specifically to be used in moving vehicles. According to the company, the Litebird can offer connectivity at 6 Mbps in vehicles going up to 125 mph. NEC is a little vague about how Litebird actually works, saying it offers "seamless roaming" by using mobile IP technology. This would make it a different solution than what T-Mobile is offering in London, which is basically a network of train-based hotspots that works with base stations positioned along the tracks.
It also makes NEC's routers usable in a range of vehicles, and the company is already planning to offer it for ambulances and other emergency-response vehicles.