Transportation based internet access (ferries, lanes, trains) is always a challenge, especially to be made effectively available throughout the journey. Routing signals across complex routes, much of which might involve underground tunnels, adds a lot of cost and complexity in planning, installing, maintaining, and troubleshooting. So when the vision was laid out for a commuter to stay connected on a phone call, use a handheld device with Wi-Fi , watch real time TV, video conference, or talk Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) without interruption throughout a trip, it WAS a big deal to realize it.

Nearly a year after we heard that WiFi trials were beginning on some of the San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit trains, WiFi Rail has announced a deal that’ll last a score and provide high-speed WiFi “throughout the BART transit system and on all BART commuter trains.”

Reportedly, the network has successfully been tested to handle loads and provide speeds in excess of 15Mbps on trains moving 81 miles-per-hour. As it stands, four downtown San Francisco stations and some segments of the tunnels are already fully functional, but it’ll take until the end of 2010 before the entire network is complete. Cooper Lee, CEO of Wifi Rail Inc says, “Once fully complete, subscribers will be charged about $30 a month…”

Until then, can we continue to be blissfully unplugged, atleast during a train journey??!

Via : Engadget/ Sanfranciso Gate