Browsing social networks or reading the latest news free on your mobile while waiting for the metro has up until now been unthinkable.
According to Metro.cz, Prague’s transport authority (DPP) has reportedly purchased the necessary equipment to offer metro passengers free Wi-Fi at its busiest stations—and trial operations could begin as early as September or October.
“This is a pilot project at Hlavní nádraží, Pražského povstání, Náměstí Republiky, Smíchovské nádraží, Florenc B and Florenc C,” DPP spokeswoman Aneta Řehková told the publication.
In June of this year, JCDecaux launched free Wi-Fi on at a number of bus tram stops; the company originally started with 27 locations but by the end of the year aims to expand service to an additional 300 stops.
According to data from JCDecaux, about 30,000 connections are made per day. That number is growing every month.
While the news of free Wi-Fi at metro stations across the Czech capital may appeal to many, psychologists have serious reservations about the introduction of mobile signals on platforms.
“More and more people are breaking away from the outside world and falling into autism,” one mental health professional told the publication.
Other opponents expressed concerns about safety.
In many countries, free Wi-Fi is standard not only in stations and subway cars but also, in the case of Moscow, for instance, even public spaces like cemeteries.