Passengers Can Go Online in 84% of Asia’s Major Subways [REPORT]

The Infographic of the Day series visually expresses important stories from Asia and the world of technology.

A report from New Cities Foundation says that passengers in most (60 percent) of the world’s largest subway systems can access internet. In Asia specifically, access appears far better than the world average as South Korean and Chinese users can connect in 100 percent of major subway systems. This compares to 56 percent in the EU, and 41 percent in the US and Canada. Eastern Europe and Central Asia lag behind at about 25 percent.

It’s important to note here that ‘access’ is defined as ‘the possibility to connect to the internet,’ and not publicly open wi-fi. Tokyo, where I live, has been referred to as a wi-fi wasteland, and internet is generally accessible in most places so long as you pay (which I do, using a pocket wi-fi device). The report says Japan’s rate of access from subways is 87.5 percent.

Nevertheless, the NCF’s executive director Mathieu Lefevre notes:

[I]t says a lot that Asian commuters can check their email and read the news in more than 80 % of the region’s subway systems, compared to just half than in North America.