Going underground
Half of Brits don't want Wi-Fi access on the Tube, according to a new poll.
London Underground (LU) is pressing ahead with its plans to roll out a Wi-Fi network across 120 Tube stations in the face of terrorism worries and now it seems partly against public opinion as well.
LU has invited firms to tender for a network-wide contract after a trial at Charring Cross, which could see Wi-Fi available for travellers in time for the Olympics.
While some commuters have been busy making use of a BT Openzone service at Charing Cross Station since November last year, it appears that most people are not in favour of rolling out Wi-Fi across the Tube network.
According to The Metro, a poll of 950 Londoners by myvouchercodes.co.uk found that 55 percent of respondents were against Wi-Fi being made available on the Underground.
Apparently, of those people not in favour of the Wi-Fi roll out, almost half said it was because of privacy fears in case other passengers were looking at their passwords.
Crime was reportedly another big concern for polled Londoners with almost a third worried that Wi-Fi will encourage theft of smartphones and computers that would be on show as users browsed the web.
Finally, the poll reportedly revealed that 14 percent of respondents reckoned the introduction of Wi-Fi on the Tube would lead to a more stressful commute, while 7 percent thought more people working on laptops in carriages will make busy carriages even more cramped.
Mark Pearson, chairman of MyVoucherCodes.co.uk, told the newspaper: "It's quite surprising to see the number of people who are against the introduction of Wi-Fi on the Underground. I would've thought, particularly with the advances in the world of technology, that people would be happy to see the availability of the internet on the tube; making internet access more readily available in all aspects of everyday life."
