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back to article 120 Underground Wi-Fi hotspots will erupt in 2012

Transport for London is tendering for bidders to open Wi-Fi hotspots at underground stations, and possibly even at bus stations and stops. The decision follows a trial with BT OpenZone at Charing Cross tube station in central London. Transport for London said the tender was for up to 120 tube stations, out of a total of 260 …

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  1. John Smith 19 Gold badge
    Joke

    "we asked about VoIP but didn't get a clear answer. "

    The shape of things to come?+

    9 0
  2. Pete 2 Silver badge

    Legacy

    So at least there'll be one good thing that comes out of the billions we're getting mugged for, on the olympics. So long as TfL don't quietly cancel the rollout after the games finish.

    1 0
  3. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Access at the platform edge only?

    Sounds a bit dangerous.

    6 0
    1. Elmer Phud
      Reply Icon
      Headmaster

      Mind the Gap

      as title

      4 0
  4. Is it me?

    Deep Joy

    Fantastic, yet another place I'm forced to listen to half of another persons conversation. The world will not end because you can't use your phone on the tube, nothing is ever that important.

    Count me as one of the Silent Majority.

    7 1
    1. Francis Boyle Silver badge
      Reply Icon

      Fear not

      in the absence of VOIP, the only way you'll be hearing your neighbour's conversations is if you lean over their shoulder and read them yourself. And then you'll get both sides. Or if someone in the carriage talks to someone else in the carriage. Never been on the Underground - is that verboten?

      4 0
  5. Mike Hanna

    Phone Use in the Tube

    There's a contract been agreed for this now, as Huawei are going to be installing antennas that provide seperate coverage for each of the four main mobile companies. And not just for the platforms, but on the trains as well, as far as I understand.

    1 0
  6. HaplessPoet
    Paris Hilton

    Paris

    I work in Paris (the one in France) and pretty much the whole Metro network and RER network have mobile phone access in the stations and in most of the tunnels.

    I don't think the French authorities see it as a security risk. I have no idea who paid for it, but I imagine that the mobile companies make a tidy bob or two.

    2 0
  7. Si 1
    Big Brother

    Are the Chinese still supplying the hardware for spying purposes?

    Or have they been sent packing?

    1 0
  8. DavDarkelf

    What is the point?

    If you are only waiting a couple of minutes for the next tube to arrive then I can't see that many people using it?

    0 1
  9. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Daily Fail

    A moan about Olympic costs and a moan from a nosey bugger who's miffed they can only eavesdrop on half a conversation.

    Please, can someone predict a high price and moan about rip-off britain.

    0 1
  10. tony2heads

    LOLcats

    http://icanhascheezburger.files.wordpress.com/2009/01/funny-pictures-the-internet-is-a-series-of-tubes.jpg

    2 0
  11. Seamaster
    FAIL

    Welcome to 2006

    Tyne & Wear Metro has had mobile voice and data throughout its underground stations for years.

    1 0
    1. handle
      Reply Icon

      Naive

      ...and Tyne and Wear Metro not only has a minute fraction of the underground mileage of London Underground, but its tunnels were bored in the 1980s and are large enough to contain walkways, leaving plenty of space for extra cables.

      2 0
  12. zerocred
    Alert

    WiFi at platform will cnabilize the tunnel traffic that never was.

    You do spend 98% of your time on the platform- so maybe its a good cheap ass non-solution.

    1 0
  13. mcfedr
    WTF?

    joke

    Who wants wifi, sell that same space to a mobile provider and give me 3g and text and phone underground not another service im not gonna want to pay for and never use. underground systems around the world have proper mobile service, i dont understand why london is lagging behind with this

    1 0
    1. LuMan
      Reply Icon
      Troll

      Don't Forget

      London Underground is older than the Bible* so all additions are extensively retro-fitted. Other countries (and cities), such as Germany (and Newcastle) have more modern affairs that were built with a bit of expansion-planning in mind.

      Mind you - tech is so small nowadays it surely can't take up THAT much room!

      *Nearly..

      1 0
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