Cabs go Wi-Fi in London

In India, we still get elated when our mobiles and laptops get automatically connected to a wireless, free Internet broadband service.  Of course, now with almost all service providers having their own 2G and 3G connectivity, not many really depend on external modems to be connected.  But, how would it be to get super-fast, free Wi-Fi every time you travel in a cab?

Well, don’t get your hopes up too high. Cabs will soon be offering free Wi-Fi but not in India but in London. The free Wi-Fi service named CabWifi has been given approval by the Transport of London. In return for free internet browsing, passengers will have to watch a 15 second ad for every 15 minutes of usage. The system will use both 3G and 4G technology and the device made in Lativia, takes only two minutes to install in London’s standard black cab.

The bigger reason for London to promote this venture is not out of sheer goodwill to London cab users but the business model being an ad-supported one. New ad content will be sent out on an hourly basis, time and location specific so the campaigns will be very specific. But again, anything ‘free’ can never be bad and if a 15 second place induced ad campaign is what one has to tolerate per 15 minutes, it remains a win-win situation for everyone!