Have you ever been on the Tyne and Wear Metro and bemoaned the fact that there is no Wi-Fi? Well, if you have you could be in luck as a new free Wi-Fi service is being piloted with the aim of improving the digital experience for customers.
The initial pilot is being rolled out on a three month basis at Central Station (starting from 8th December) and if a success would be made available at other busy underground Metro stations. Known as the Metro Connect network it allows customers to access data and get online without any charge, quickly and easy through the Pop App.
Steve Duchar, Head of ICT at Nexus, said: “We’re really excited to be piloting the Tyne and Wear Metro’s first ever free Wi-Fi service, which is going to really improve the digital experience for thousands of our customers.
“Better connectivity at our underground Metro stations is something that customers really want to see, and we’re now able to start delivering that through this initial trial of the Metro Connect Wi-Fi at Central Station.
“We understand how important it is for people to stay connected while they are on the move. Metro Connect will provide customers with fast and easy access to data with their smartphones and tablets. It’ll transform how they can browse for key information and get real time service updates through our Pop App when they need it.
“We see strong data connectivity on Metro trains and at most of the stations across the system, but the busy underground stations could be better and often struggle to get any 4G or 5G connection at all, other than with EE. Wi-Fi remedies this issue.
“If the trial proves successful with high customer demand, then we could look at rolling out Wi-Fi to other key Metro stations which currently have poor digital connectivity.”
Metro Connect will allow customers to make Wi-Fi calls, browse the internet, and send text and WhatsApp messages from the station platforms and the ticket concourse at Central. The quickest way to access it is through the Pop App, but it can also be accessed through the Purple app (the provider). When accessing the free Wi-Fi customers will have to go through a short registration process. Indecent and inappropriate material will be blocked by the connection.
If this pilot is a success other stations it could be extended to include Monument, Haymarket, Jesmond, St James and Gateshead.