Virgin Media to bring Wi-Fi to the Underground
80 stations to be connected before the Olympics, 120 by the end of 2012
Virgin Media has announced that free Wi-Fi will be available at 80 key Tube stations this summer, including Stratford, Liverpool Street, Oxford Street and London Bridge.
The service will be up and running before the Olympics, and will let passengers keep up to date with news and social media, find out about places in the capital to visit and research the best places to have lunch, all while waiting for a train.
The service will provide free access to the whole internet from July 2012, but after the Olympic period open access will be restricted to travel information. However, those with Virgin Media mobile and broadband subscriptions will still enjoy unfettered access, and others will be able to buy subscriptions to the Wi-Fi network or enjoy Pay-As-You-Go access. The network will also be extended to 120 stations by the end of the year, many of them deep-level Tube stops.
Mayor of London Boris Johnson is excited about the development: “Millions of passengers will now be able to connect to their work, friends or access the latest news and travel information whilst on the move. This is a fabulous new and free resource which will be in place from this summer when London is being showcased on a global stage and playing host to millions.”
Even when the free service is cut off, having free access to live travel information will make altering a journey to avoid a broken-down train a much smoother experience.