London Underground is set to kick off a trial of Wi-Fi in its stations next week, as part of Mayor Boris Johnson's plans to get London more connected.
Passengers passing through Charing Cross will be able to log-on to a BT Openzone network as part of the six-month project, which is the first to take any sort of connectivity down the Tube's subterranean stations, and will explore the technology's performance and customer take-up.
"An ever growing commuter populous has been clamouring to be able to check their emails and browse the net whilst on the go," said Kulveer Ranger, the Mayor of London's transport adviser. "This trial at Charing Cross will allow them to do just that whilst on the Tube platform."
"This is an important step towards seeing how this could be achieved and is part of the Mayor's ambition to examine ways in which we can use technology to adapt the city's transport system to meet the needs of those using it," Ranger said.
The ticket hall area as well as the Northern and Bakerloo line platforms at Charing Cross Tube station will provide access to commuters with Wi-Fi in their broadband tariffs, or to anyone purchasing a BT OpenZone voucher.
It won't, initially at least, work on trains, only on the platforms and ticket halls.
The organisers also suggest the service will provide up-to-date travel information, but those details are already available on screens within the station
