Mayor Boris Johnson plans to allow mobile phone calls on the tube by 2012, but one London IT company already has the facility for its staff and customers to make calls from deep inside Underground stations.
On 1st November, TFL launched the trial of WiFi on certain parts of the underground. Many people see this as the first step towards eventual full mobile coverage. However, this trial is for WiFi access only at this stage, with many people assuming that Tfl want to judge the travelling public’s reaction to the use of mobile devices on the tube before they allow people to start making calls.
Leading London IT company Octavia IT Services has already identified, through the use of VoIP technology, that it is relatively straightforward for its staff and customers to make and receive telephone calls whilst deep in tube stations.
Their Chief Executive, Giles Sirett explained, “The innovative telephone systems that we provide to businesses are based on VoIP technology. This means that it is possible to make and receive calls over WiFi connections as well as the standard 3G or GSM network. We help many of our customers exploit this to reduce the cost of calls to their mobile workforce. In essence, wherever there is a WiFi signal, their staff can make or receive calls.”
Call from Bakerloo Line
Sirett continues, “Today one of my staff called me to tell me he was running late for a meeting. When I asked him where he was, he said Charring Cross Station….on the Bakerloo line platform. He was calling from his mobile, connecting through the tube WiFi. I’m now excited to see the extent of TFL’s coverage on the tube: I’m hoping, pretty soon, that I’ll be able to reach my staff anywhere on the underground.”
