GSM and UMTS on trains

[kuba.g]

Using internet on trains is something with which I have a lot of experience as well, as I mainly travel by train in Europe.

The most interesting fact I have noticed is that the experience with it in Germany is very disappointing (if not the worst...). I have tried out MedionMobile (e-Plus = tragedy), Fonic (O2) and ja! Mobil (T-Mobile). O2 worked nice as long as it had 3G, but on most of the train routes this is not the case and then it jumped back to GPRS. I have found surfing on this GPRS not doable, so I hoped for a significant improvement with T-Mobile which is a 100% EDGE network. However, even on the EDGE network, and even though my mobile phone shows 50% signal, internet just doesn't load.... and this is the case for like 75% of the time.

I have no idea what causes this. I have found Poland's Plus EGDE network to work much better on trains (when there is at least 25% EDGE signal internet just loads, which somehow isn't in Germany.....). The same thing holds for TIM in Italy.