Join 
You are here: 
Tube WiFi Charges Coming Soon
# 22 November 2012, 15:13 by cfteam
Virgin Media have confirmed their London Underground Station WiFi systems will be charging up to £2 a day on a Pay As You Go service for those not signed up as a Virgin Media or other partner customer. The good news is that around 3/4 of Greater London consumers are predicted by Virgin Media to continue to get access at no extra cost based on a current subscription.
EE and Vodafone have signed up with Virgin Media as wholesale partners for the Tube WiFi. This means users on Orange, T-Mobile and EE services, as well as Vodafone and Virgin Media customers should be able to take advantage of the underground WiFi without incurring new charges.
The Virgin Media press release does not confirm exactly when charges will start other than in 2013. For the remainder of 2012 all WiFi users can benefit from free connections. Once charging commences, the system should still provide everyone with free access to London Transport’s travel information services through a WiFi walled garden.
Statistics suggest the Tube WiFi- available in ticket halls, on escalators and platforms, but not the trains or tunnels, is quite popular. Some 700,000 people are online accounting for a million daily sessions.
The rollout to stations is somewhat slower than predicted prior to the Olympics. Last March Virgin Media indicated some 120 station would be live by the end of 2012 with 80 of those active prior to the Olympics. However, it’s another case of “it’s coming soon” as only 72 stations are currently active with another 20 expected to be ready this year leaving 28 due sometime early in 2013.