Mind the app! ‘London To Become The Hottest Spot In Europe’ we wrote back in January [1] (and ‘London Underground WiFi – First Stations Named!’ in early June [2]) – four weeks into the rollout (at over 40 London Underground stations) it seems that 100,000 passengers have been online underground and one million Tweets, Facebook posts, emails and web pages were delivered in one week alone!
[3]Throughout the 2012 Games and beyond passengers will be able to check TfL travel pages for live journey information as well as Time Out, Spotify and MyMovies.Net for free from Tube platforms (nothing is for ‘free’ of course, the service is ‘sponsored’ by Virgin Media AND you have to enter your email address to gain access).
Kevin Baughan, Director of Metro Wireless at Virgin Media, told us “Londoners and visitors are loving our new WiFi service and we’re on track to connect Tube journeys right across London ahead of the Games. With millions of smartphones, gadgets and devices taken onto the Tube each day, the demand for data continues to grow and we’re rolling-out a future-proofed service that makes superfast wireless connections the standard. In partnership with TfL, we’ve achieved a huge amount and have launched a service London can be proud of.”
The service is expected to be extended to 120 stations by the end of the year.
Gareth Powell, London Underground’s Director of Strategy and Service Development said “WiFi at Tube stations is proving extremely popular with our customers. Millions of commuters and visitors from around the world are now able to keep up with live travel updates, news and entertainment throughout an incredible summer and beyond. We look forward to continuing the roll-out and connecting up to 120 London Underground stations in 2012.”
After the summer, the comprehensive WiFi portal with TfL travel information, updates and London news and entertainment will remain free for all Tube passengers but in addition Virgin Media will be offering mobile operators, internet service providers and other service providers the opportunity to wholesale the service and make it available to their customers.
We are told that Virgin Media broadband and mobile subscribers will continue to have free WiFi access and a PAYG service will ensure visitors and all Londoners can easily hop onto the internet.