Share:
UK Prime Minister David Cameron has announced the government will bring free Wi-Fi networks to trains in the UK.
The PM hopes to have the nationwide service in place by 2017, at a cost to the treasury of £50 million.
The announcement came during today’s Prime Minister’s Questions, which saw the Tory leader respond to a question about improving communications for business people, commuters, and students.
It’s worth noting that the question came from Tory cabinet minister Maria Miller, which means it was very likely to have been previously vetted by Cameron’s office as a question he’d like to take at PMQs.
Some train services already offer Wi-Fi on trains across the UK, however companies tend to charge a fee for usage, which results in the system being under-used.
It’s not yet clear which companies are on board to help implement the system, or what kind of speeds we’ll see.
Related: Best Routers 2015
Earlier today, EE announced it would be committing £1.5 billion over the next two years to help expand its 4G network and improve rural cellular services.
Both plans from the government and EE are working towards cementing the UK as a global leader for on-the-go comms.
EE wants to bring 4G to over 99 per cent of the population by 2017, matching Cameron’s free Wi-Fi on trains time-frame.