Silicon Readers Won’t Accept Higher Train Fares For Better 4G Mobile Coverage

Three quarters of Silicon readers would not accept higher train fares for better mobile coverage despite a report form the Department for Transport (DfT) claiming commuters would pay up to a fifth more for enhanced 4G.

According to our poll, 9.1 percent of readers would pay more for faster speeds but 16.4 percent would shell out for better reliability.

However 74.5 percent say nothing would convince them to pay more for their ticket.

Rail mobile coverage

Better connectivity, more advanced devices and the adoption of cloud has made working on the go easier than ever but annual fare increases, poorer service and industrial action have made commuting an expensive ordeal.

And it seems that Silicon readers have had enough.

There are however a number of moves to improve connectivity on the UK’s rail network.

A number of rail operators have introduced Wi-Fi services, but the government wants free wireless connectivity to be a condition of any future rail franchise bid, with a £50 million fund available to accelerate deployment.

EE is one mobile operator that has promised to improve cellular coverage along major train routes, but this can be made difficult because signals are more likely to bounce off carriages than penetrate them. Rival Three has suggested train operators should help foot the bill.

Transport for London (TfL) has confirmed that Crossrail will have in-tunnel 4G when services go live next year. Cellular coverage is still absent from the London Underground however.

Quiz: What do you know about 4G?