The Government has announced that it will provide free wi-fi on trains in England and Wales from 2017.
David Cameron revealed the plans to invest £47.8 million in the service during Prime Minister’s Questions, prompted by Conservative minister Maria Miller after a particularly aggressive exchange with Labour leader Ed Miliband saw him branded "rotten" for links between party donors and the HSBC tax avoidance scandal.
The wi-fi will appear on services from Thameslink, Southern and Great Northern (TSGN); Southeastern; Chiltern and Arriva Trains Wales. The funding will be provided contingent on satisfactory proposals from the operators.
The funding will come from fines levelled against Network Rail for consistently missing punctuality targets.
"It is vital for businesses and for individuals to be able to access wi-fi, do their work and make other contacts while they are on trains," said Cameron.
"I am pleased to announce plans that will see the roll-out of free wi-fi on trains across the United Kingdom from 2017. The Government will invest nearly £50 million to ensure that rail passengers, who make more than 500 million journeys every year, are better connected, with the four rail operators — Thameslink, Southern and Great Northern; Southeastern; Chiltern; and Arriva Trains Wales — all benefiting from that investment."
"It’s hard to think of anything that underlines the importance of wi-fi more effectively than a Prime Minister’s public pledge to make it freely available," commented David Nowicki, CMO of Devicescape, which develops software for wireless networking.
"This latest announcement reflects the fact that smartphone users need connectivity everywhere they go, and highlights the importance of a mix of technologies in providing that connectivity."
"It also emphasises the significance of public amenity wi-fi as a resource for delivering quality coverage in environments where cellular might struggle. What the industry now needs to do is combine these technologies in a way that delivers consistency of experience across every element of the connectivity mix."
