Free WiFi Coming to Beijing Buses
Squeezing yourself onto Beijing’s crowded public transportation just got a little more rewarding: soon, at least some buses will be free wifi hotspots. Beijing, it seems, is finally getting into wifi; earlier this year we also saw the rollout of free wifi in Beijing’s Central Business District.
This news comes to us from the Legal Evening News, which says that China Mobile’s Beijing subsidiary has already worked out a deal with the Beijing Public Transit Group, which operates Beijing’s bus system.
北京で混雑した公共交通機関に乗ると少し得した気分になるかも？ 北京がようやくWiFi 展開する時が来たようです。近々、少なくとも一部のバスが無料の WiFi ホットスポットになります。今年の初めには、北京の中央ビジネス地区で無料 WiFi サービスが広がり始めていたことも確認しています。
このニュースは地元 Legal Evening News 紙の紙面記事から得た情報で、記事によると北京にあるChina Mobile 社の子会社は既にBeijing Public Transit Group 社 (北京のバス路線を運営する企業)との契約を完了させているとのこと。
It’s not clear whether all buses will be equipped with wifi equipment, or exactly how the connection will work. It’s possible that passengers will need a China Mobile phone number to access the free internet, although the Legal Evening News piece implies that’s not the case.
In addition to the regular internet, passengers will also be able to use the free wifi to access a special transportation network that will give them information about bus routes, other transportation services, and special deals. The addition of internet access could certainly make riding the bus in Beijing more interesting, so long as it isn’t so crowded that your arms are pinned to your sides so you can’t even look at your phone (that happens sometimes).
