Wi-Fi internet access goes underground
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Transport for London has announced 40 underground stations now offer free internet access, following the installation of the necessary equipment by contract winner Virgin Media. The service will be rolled out to 80 stations in total by the start of the Olympics following a successful trial.

It is worrying that already overcrowded underground stations will now contain thousands of people concentrating on staying up to date with social media, gossip news and occasionally work, whilst trying to navigate a potentially dangerous environment. An environment expected to cope with almost a million more passengers during the Games.

Fortunately for those who commute by tube, the service is only available at station concourse levels, ticket offices, escalators and platforms, and not on the trains themselves. So despite all the claims of cutting edge technology, this is a surprise, given that Hong Kong's Mass Transit Railway tube system is already fitted with Wi-Fi on the trains.

The Underground service will be free to everyone throughout the Games, but only free to Virgin Media customers afterwards, with the service offered on a pay as you go basis for other service users.

However, commuters will have free access to a limited service once the Games are over, including the Transport for London journey planner, together with some entertainment and news content, deemed useful for commuters.

It seems the often used excuse of "sorry I missed your call/email, I was on the tube", will soon be a thing of the past and commuters will perhaps now be considered as remote workers.

There will no doubt be connection difficulties for those expecting remote access to work systems from the platform at Finsbury Park, so we might have to consider starting the helpdesk a bit earlier in the morning for all our London clients.

Find out which stations will offer the service and read the article in full here

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