Free Virgin Media Tube Wi-Fi To End On 29 January

Passengers on the London Underground may find their journeys a little less entertaining next week, as the free Tube Wi-Fi service is due to end on 29 January, Virgin Media has confirmed.

The ISP told TechWeekEurope that next Tuesday will be the last day when everyone can connect to the Internet without being charged, although a Wi-Fi portal which displays TfL information and London news and entertainment will still be available for all.

Tube Wi-Fi deals

Virgin Media mobile and broadband customers will continue to enjoy free access to the service, as will the Vodafone, EE, T-Mobile and Orange customers, following a deal agreed by the operators. Everyone else will have to fork out for a monthly, weekly or daily pass, with prices starting from £2.

A launch offer will be available where new customers can get three months for the price of one.

Virgin Media won the much sought-after contract to provide Wi-Fi to the London Underground in March, with its wireless network going online in June, just in time for the 2012 Olympic Games. Internet is currently available on the way from ticket halls to the platforms, but not on the trains themselves.

The company added 20 new stations to its network in December and claims to be on track to reach 120 by early 2013. It says that more than 800,000 passengers are now registered for the service ahead of the transition to a paid-for model.

The Cloud has won a separate deal to provide Wi-Fi connections at all 56 stations on the London Overground network, while yesterday, TfL has also given its blessing to the new taxi Wi-Fi scheme proposed by Tech City-based startup Eyetease, which wants to bring free, ad-supported Wi-Fi to London’s black cabs.

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