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- Virgin Media confirms plans for Underground WiFi after 2012 launch
- Virgin Media, EE and Vodafone customers to enjoy WiFi at no extra cost
- 48 new stations1 to expand reach of service
Virgin Media has signed up EE and Vodafone as wholesale partners for its WiFi service on London Underground. Millions of EE, Vodafone and Virgin Media customers2 will be able to enjoy full WiFi access across London Underground following the deal, keeping the majority of Tube passengers connected for no extra cost3.
Jon James, executive director of broadband at Virgin Media said: “WiFi on London Underground has been an incredible success with over 700,000 people already online and a remarkable million sessions every day. We’re rolling out the service to reach even more stations throughout London, from Camden Town to Clapham Common and, thanks to our partnership with EE and Vodafone, the majority of Tube users can stay connected for no extra cost. We’re delighted that Virgin Media customers are making the most of our superfast fibre optic network, both at home with unbeatable broadband speeds and now with our ground-breaking WiFi service.”
Pippa Dunn, Chief Marketing Officer at EE, said: “It’s great that Orange, T-Mobile and EE mobile customers will soon get access to Underground WiFi included in their plan, at no extra cost. We know that our customers want the best and the fastest connections wherever they are - and with the largest 3G network and with 4G and Fibre on EE, we already offer customers superfast internet in the home, office and on the move. With Underground WiFi now they can stay connected on the London Underground as well.”
Srini Gopalan, Consumer Director, Vodafone UK, said: "We want to put the internet into people's hands wherever they are and that certainly includes major transport links. We already spend £1.8m a day on our UK network, giving our customers the depth and breadth of coverage that they expect whenever they need it, and we invested heavily in London ahead of the Olympics and Diamond Jubilee this Summer. Now this deal will take us on a journey to the heart of the London Underground, ensuring our customers can stay connected even when they are beneath the streets of the capital.”
Gareth Powell, Director of Strategy and Service Development for London Underground, said: “WiFi is a great way to keep our Tube customers up-to-date with live travel information and other news and entertainment. We are delighted that Virgin Media is giving the majority of Londoners the chance to continue to enjoy WiFi at no extra cost next year and beyond.”
Following a hugely successful launch, Virgin Media is offering free WiFi on London Underground throughout 2012. In 2013 and beyond, Virgin Media’s comprehensive WiFi portal will continue to keep all Tube passengers up-to-date with TfL travel information and great London entertainment and news for free. As the service rolls out to Virgin Media, Vodafone, EE, Orange and T-Mobile customers, Virgin Media will also launch a Pay As You Go service with daily, weekly and monthly passes starting from £2 per day, giving Tube passengers a range of options about how to get online underground.
72 London Underground stations are already WiFi enabled and Virgin Media is working in partnership with Transport for London to install another 20 Tube stations in December with a further 28 stations due to come online early next year.
The WiFi service allows London Underground travellers to connect to the internet and view live travel information, news and entertainment at Tube stations across the capital.
Virgin Media’s wireless services are designed to help meet the increasing demand for mobile data, growing 84% year on year and expected to account for 11% of total internet traffic by 20154.
Notes to Editors
1 Another 20 London Underground stations will be WiFi enabled in December with a further 28 stations to come online early 2013. The next 20 stations are:
Oval | Belsize Park |
Holloway Road | Russell Square |
Clapham Common | Balham |
Chalk Farm | Camden Town |
Bounds Green | Finsbury Park |
Mornington Crescent | Highgate |
Hampstead | Seven Sisters |
Lancaster Gate | Swiss Cottage |
South Kensington | Turnpike Lane |
Notting Hill Gate | Wood Green |
72 London Underground stations are already WiFi enabled. To keep up-to-date with the roll-out, please visit www.virginmedia.com/wifi or www.tfl.gov.uk/wifi
2 Available to Virgin Media broadband and mobile subscribers, active Vodafone, Orange, T-Mobile and EE mobile customers
3 Virgin Media broadband and mobile subscribers, EE and Vodafone customers represent approximately 76% of consumers in Greater London
4 Source: ATKearney, January 2012 http://www.atkearney.com/paper/-/asset_publisher/dVxv4Hz2h8bS/content/the-internet-economy-in-the-united-kingdom/10192
To power the WiFi service, Virgin Media is providing fibre connectivity to each Underground station and London Underground has installed in-station equipment, including on-platform access points, to create a station-wide hotspot.
· Passengers are able to get online throughout connected London Underground stations: from the ticket hall, on the escalators and on the platforms. Users will be also connected whilst on a train in a platform but WiFi will not work in London Underground tunnels.
· To use the free WiFi service, London Underground passengers just need to connect to the service with their WiFi enabled device and register their email address. Further details of how to connect to WiFi at Tube stations if you’re a Vodafone, EE or Virgin Media customer or would like to make use of forthcoming PAYG options will be communicated via customer channels to all Tube passengers
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About Virgin Media
Virgin Media is the first provider of all four broadband, TV, mobile phone and home phone services in the UK.
The company’s cable network – the result of multi-billion pound private investment – delivers ultrafast broadband to over half of all UK homes, with speeds of up to 120Mb, as well as market leading connectivity to thousands of public and private sector organisations across the country.
Virgin Media has developed the most advanced interactive television service, bringing together broadcast TV, thousands of hours of on demand programming and the best of the web in a single set-top box powered by TiVo. The company was the first to offer HD TV and 3D on demand to millions of British households.
The world’s first virtual mobile network was launched by Virgin Media and it is also one of the largest fixed-line home phone providers in the country.
Virgin Media is a part of Liberty Global plc, the world’s largest broadband communications group. Together Virgin Media and Liberty Global serve 25 million customers across 14 countries, helping connect people to the digital world and enabling them to discover and experience its endless possibilities.
For more information, go to www.virginmedia.com