Confirming our report last week, Virgin Media’s free WiFi service on the London Underground today became a paid service for some, on the same day the company announced that it has added another 11 stations to its Tube network.
From today, the company will provide a pay-as-you-go service to commuters and tourists, while offering EE (including T-Mobile and Orange), Vodafone and its own customers free connections when they connect from station platforms, foyers and escalators.
The next 11 stations include: Gloucester Road, Tooting Bec, Highbury & Islington, Tooting Broadway, Kentish Town, Hampstead, Great Portland Street, Redbridge, Hammersmith (District & Piccadilly), Blackhorse Road and South Wimbledon.
The change had been coming, after Virgin Media announced that it had signed a deal with EE and Vodafone back in November 2012, later committing to connecting another 20 London Underground stations to its network.
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Originally connecting London’s Tube network to provide Internet access ahead of the 2012 London Olympics, Virgin Media saw a total of 800,000 people register to use its Underground WiFi by December 2012.
While EE, Vodafone and Virgin Media customers will continue to receive free WiFi on London Underground, other customers will only be able to access it through a new pay-as-you-go programme, which will be charged as follows:
- Daily: £2
- Weekly: £5
- Monthly: £15
Currently there are 103 WiFi enabled London Underground stations, with Virgin Media hoping to push live 120 locations by the end of March 2013.
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