Transport for London, which manages the London Underground, plans to have Wi-Fi in many of its stations in time for the 2012 Olympics. TfL is apparently in the final stages of contracting with a service provider to put Wi-Fi hotspots in 120 of the roughly 270 stations. According to a tender document, customers will be able to access “real-time travel information, news, sports and entertainment” for free, and would pay extra for full internet access. The service provider is expected to be announced in early spring, which a TfL spokesman says will provide plenty of time to get the system running by the Games.
London Underground stations to get Wi-Fi in time for Olympics
Transport for London is apparently in the final stages of contracting to provide Wi-Fi access at 120 Underground stations in time for the 2012 Olympics.
Transport for London is apparently in the final stages of contracting to provide Wi-Fi access at 120 Underground stations in time for the 2012 Olympics.
is a senior tech and policy editor focused on online platforms and free expression. Adi has covered virtual and augmented reality, the history of computing, and more for The Verge since 2011.
Wi-Fi in the London Underground has been in the works for some time. In late 2010, a test program was started at Charing Cross station. Run by BT Openzone, the service was free to BT subscribers, and could be accessed by anyone for a fee. While Wi-Fi may be up and running in time for the Olympics, however, an actual mobile network on the Tube remains elusive — a similar plan to have mobile access during the Games was discarded last year.
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