The Cloud To Supply Free Wi-Fi To London Overground

Passengers on the London Overground will soon receive free Internet access after a deal was struck to provide Wi-Fi connections at all 56 stations on the network.

The news comes less than two weeks after Virgin Media announced that it had signed a deal to install Wi-Fi services to 120 London Underground stations in time for the Olympic Games this summer.

Going overground

Hotspots will be installed at 12 stations to begin with; New Cross Gate, Forest Hill, West Croydon, Norwood Junction, Surrey Quays, Dalston, Wapping, Hackney Central, Kensington Olympia and Shepherd’s Bush, with rollout to the rest of the network completed by the end of this year.

The wireless hotspots will be operated by The Cloud and users will need to register just once to receive their sixty minutes of free access each day. The service will remain free to use after the Olympics, unlike the London Underground Wi-Fi service.

After the games have concluded, only Virgin Mobile customers will continue to be able to use the service free of charge, with users of other networks subject a Pay-As-You-Go payment model. Bidding for the service began last March and is part of Mayor of London Boris Johnson’s plans to bring Wi-Fi to public transport in London, including buses.

London Overground services began in 2007 after Transport for London (TfL) won the franchises for a number of London national rail services. It currently comprises five lines, including the former East London tube line, with a sixth due to be added later this year.

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