Plans to equip the London Underground with Wi-Fi for the London Olympic Games in 2012 have started with 16 underground stations switching from private Wi-Fi usage reserved for staff use to public access this week.
One of the first stations to receive the upgrade was Charing Cross, the BT Openzone trial has been reported as a great success and it has now been rolled out across the Bakerloo and Northern lines. BT Broadband customers will be able use the BT Openzone Wi-Fi on the platform within the station but not on the actual tube itself. TFL are currently seeking investment to bring the remainder of the project alive before next years games.
In total they want to equip 120 underground stations with Wi-Fi before next summer. They make it sound as if there are many bidders for the project too: “A contract will be awarded to the chosen bidder by the end of 2011… passengers will be able to log on to the internet from their laptops or mobile devices at stations before the 2012 Olympics.”
So is the promise of underground Wi-Fi a good thing and do you think they will pull it off?
