The support of Boris Johnson, Mayor of London, behind a new scheme to offer WiFi services to passengers on the London Underground together with his vision of London where “every lamp-post and every bus stop” would offer wireless internet access, got me thinking…
Why is it that campaigners that are so active in protesting against the siting of 3G mobile masts are so quiet when it comes to the idea of WiFi? Is it because they see big business is making money out of the cellular networks? Their lack of ability to do anything about WiFi? Lack of awareness of the greater potential risks that emanate from the more powerful, less efficient, largely unmonitored, completely unlicensed and largely unknown about networks that their next door neighbors might have already set up? Or is it just the terrible head-buried-in-the-sand approach to PR that the mobile industry has adopted?
Personally I would advise against a young child having their own mobile due to concerns of the unknown and the lack of development/density of their immature skull. But even for adults I wouldn’t recommend sitting for long periods of time on a daily basis within an underground metal train carriage filled with hispeed WiFi networks…
The other thing that strikes me is the prospect of pickpockets/muggers targeting affluent tourists attending for the Olympics. Wouldn’t the promise of every bus stop and train carriage filled with Laptop using tourists be like an open invitation to the sort of attention most people don’t want when in a foreign city?
Maybe they’d be better off focusing on value fares and getting a mobile signal working on the tube? Failing that how about some air conditioning?