OFFALY-BASED AirAppz has offered to install and manage high-speed wireless internet access on inter-city trains at no cost to Iarnród Éireann.

AirAppz has developed hardware and software that would enable it to fit out the trains at relatively low cost, according to the company's chief executive, Evert Bopp.

He said the company would use a mix of wireless technologies and the fibre-optic network that runs alongside the railway tracks to provide connectivity.

Mr Bopp said the company could cover the cost of the service by selling advertising that would be relevant to the user's location or destination.

"Our ultimate goal would be to make this free, but initially we might have to charge €1 an hour for a high-speed service," he said.

Iarnród Éireann spokesman Barry Kenny confirmed that the company plans to meet AirAppz.

"We have been approached by a lot of companies in the past but their proposals involved a significant investment from us, while it was unclear we would generate sufficient revenues," said Mr Kenny. "On the face of it, this seems quite different."

He also said Iarnród Éireann, a State company, would have to put any contract out to tender.

The State rail company says in a section on its website about internet access on trains "that it wouldn't be in the public or the company's best interest to install the current wireless technologies on its fleet for customer use due to the limited lifespan of said technologies". It advises customers to obtain their own solutions, such as those offered by mobile operators.

Mr Bopp said while he wanted his company to win any tender that might be awarded, he would be happy if Iarnród Éireann decided to install a system.

"If there was wi-fi on trains myself and many others would get the train rather than driving all over the country," he said.

Mr Kenny accepted the availability of broadband might increase business usage of train services. He said Iarnród Éireann would consider all financial aspects of the proposal and not purely the revenues directly generated from use of the service.

Wireless internet access is available on a number of train services around Europe, including National Express East Coast, which links London and Scotland; the Heathrow Express; and Deutsche Bahn services in Germany.

Earlier this year, the EU approved the use of mobile technologies and internet access on aircraft.