Wireless Internet Reviews

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BART, the Bay Area Rapid Transit District, moves with technology. The 104-mile commuter rail was one of the first to implement a system whereby riders pay for their fare via a cell phone. Soon, they’ll roll out a Wi-Fi service which will cover the entire track, and which will be provided by the appropriately-named WiFi Rail Inc. They’ve been testing out the service since 2007 with 2.2 miles of network in downtown San Francisco. Now they’ve signed a 20-year agreement to provide wireless Internet service to riders.

While the test network is available free of charge, WiFi Rail will begin a subscription model once the network becomes more widespread. This will include $10 daily passes (wow), $30 monthly, and $300 yearly. The latter two sound a bit more palatable at a dollar a day or less. I do have to wonder how many people will pay. It depends, I suppose, on how long commuters ride the train.

Demographic studies indicate that approximately 71 percent of commuter rail travelers carry mobile data devices and would utilize the services of mobile wireless connections. Annual growth of WiFi-capable handsets has been projected at 1,300 percent by 2010, driven by the popularity of devices such as the IPhone and IPod Touch, the company said.

I also wonder if that 71 percent includes laptops. That would be the main attraction, I would think. It would allow commuters to get a head start on their day.