TfL Adds 100 More Stations To London Tube Wi-Fi
Almost every station on the tube can get Wi-Fi… but not Tottenham Court Road or Bond Street
Public Wi-Fi is now available at almost every single station on the London Underground network after 100 more stops were added by Transport for London (TfL) and Virgin Media.
The total number of connected stations now stands at 250 with only 20 now lacking access to the service. Two of the most notable absentees from the list are Bond Street and Tottenham Court Road, both ofwhich iare currently undergoing major renovation work ahead of the arrival of Crossrail.
“Wi-Fi is one of many ways we’re improving our customers’ journeys across the TfL network,” said Steve Townsend, TfL CIO. “We’re delighted that 250 Tube stations and Victoria Coach Station now have WiFi. It will help more of our customers access live travel information, social media and internet browsing while they are on the move across the Capital.”
Tube Wi-Fi
The Tube Wi-Fi service was first introduced in 2012 ahead of the London Olympics and is free to use for Virgin Media subscribers and customers of EE, O2, Three and Vodafone. Other users can access the network on a pay as you go basis, while travel information is free of charge.
Virgin Media says one million devices connect every day and the average user consumes 40MB, contributing to a network-wide figure of 20TB.
“Since we launched the London Underground Wi-Fi service three years ago we have been astounded by the take-up and reaction from Tube users and reaching the 250 station milestone has been a long-term ambition for us,” added Gregor McNeil, managing director for consumer at Virgin Media.
“By bringing connectivity to more people where and when they need it, out of their homes, we are helping Londoners to stay connected and for them to do all the stuff they love – post, tweet, watch and share – whilst on the move.”
Despite the success of Tube Wi-Fi service, there have been additional calls for mobile coverage to be added to the London Underground.
Transport for London (TfL) told TechWeekEurope in 2013 that although it supported the idea of mobile roll-out on the Tube “in principle”, any project should not come at the expense of taxpayers or fare payers and that major UK phone operators had so far been unable to come up with a self-financing solution for voice calls in the depths of the tube.
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