A scheme to turn some of London’s famous black cab taxis into moving Wi-Fi hotspots has been given the go-ahead, paving the way to free internet access to passengers in the future.
As we become more and more obsessed with smartphones, tablets and other gadgets, our need to always be online is ever growing. With this in mind, Mayor Boris Johnson is on a mission to turn the capital into one of the best connected in the world.
The proposition to put Wi-Fi into every black cab in the city has recently been approved, with Transport for London giving a company called Eyetease the green light to begin work. Once up and running, each cab will offer 15 minutes of free Wi-Fi connectivity to each passenger, with a hitch. In order to get online you’ll need to sit through a 15 second advert, although it’s not clear if this will take place on your device or on one of the screens in the taxi.
How are they going to provide Wi-Fi in a moving object? We hear you ask. Well, the cabs will be fitted with a type of Mi-Fi router that connects to both 3G and 4G networks to provide a speedy connection for smartphones, tablets and laptops. With 4G speeds promised, we’re going to go out on a limb and say that the system will be using EE’s 4G network here in the UK.
There’s currently no word on whether users will be able to pay for access beyond the first free 15 minutes, or whether they’ll just need to get things done sharpish before connectivity drops. Either way, for those with poor signal in the capital or no data allowance it’s bound to come in handy for a quick check of the emails or a search for somewhere to have lunch.
CabWifi joins Virgin Media’s Wi-Fi network for the London Underground, which has recently announced plans to expand to even more tube stations next year. Our capital is well on its way to being one giant Wi-Fi network, but is it a good or bad thing? Let us know what you think by adding a comment below.
Via: CabWifi