Beijing’s subway is one of the cheapest in the world, allowing users to ride from anywhere to anywhere for just 2 RMB ($0.31). And given Beijing’s ludicrously bad traffic problems, it’s something many people spend a lot of time in. But the experience hasn’t improved much for internet addicts in the smartphone age, because the 3G signal down there is generally pretty bad. That’s still the case for users with other providers, but China Telecom users will be pleased to learn that the company now offers 3G signal along five of the subway’s most popular lines.
Specifically, Telecom has added 84 signal stations along lines 1, 2, 5, 8, and 10. The company claims the service even extends through the tunnels on those lines, although the project has just finished installation and is now in the testing phase, so Telecom users shouldn’t expect a flawless 3G signal throughout just yet.
It’s a great step forward for subway time-wasting (and yes, you could use the internet to do actual work too), and it’s something that I hope the other providers will try to copy. It’d be great to have China Unicom 3G in the subways, but of course what everyone’s really waiting for is China Mobile’s 4G TD-LTE. If they get that going down there, I may never come out of the subway.
[CCTime via Sina Tech, Image source]
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