Surf the Net on your bus ride home

John Chan | Nov 10, 2007

You may be able to get free Wi-Fi almost anywhere in Singapore with the Wireless@SG initiative which aims to wire up the whole island state, but that is surely insufficient for the true Internet junkie. For up to two hours each day when traveling on a bus, a Net addict has to undergo cold turkey as his notebook becomes nothing more than a slab of plastic and silicon without wireless access. Well, a fix has been found. Nokia has brought Wi-Fi onto 12 buses in Singapore so that commuters can surf for free when riding them.

This feat is achieved by using the existing cellular HSDPA service. The best thing is that users don't need a HSDPA-enabled phone or modem as the equipment dishes out the access using regular Wi-Fi within the bus. So, this moving hotspot will give you your YouTube and Facebook fix as long as the cellular network is healthy along the bus route.

Unlike Wireless@SG, you don't have to sign up for an account to use Nokia's Wi-Fi Zone service. The unsecured network just requires you to agree to some terms of service and after that, you're good to go. Nokia says this is a trial for now and that it will review the service in a few months time. It's a first from the company, so you won't find it outside of Singapore at this point.

There are only 12 buses plying 12 different routes at this point--so chances of hopping on one even if you use the particular bus service is not guaranteed. If you are truly and hopelessly hooked to the Internet, we suggest getting your own HSDPA modem and an unlimited plan--that will work on any bus.

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Filed under: Handhelds, Mobile Phones, Notebooks
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xiaoxiong

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xiaoxiong says...
It's just a marketing gimmick. Gosh, I can't imagine people surfing on the bus with their laptops. And if they have their phones/PDA phones, they already have data connection. Oh well, guess you shouldn't complain about free stuff.

Nov 12, 2007 15:32

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mingsen

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mingsen says...
Well, why not? Like myself, it wil be great if I can get Wireless@KL, so I can disconnect my data connection :D

Nov 13, 2007 01:11

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