UK train users can wi-fi-smurf as they wait

Worry no more. The signal of a strong and sound democracy is that the trains never run on time, and now technology will let you curse online because Wi-Fi connectivity will let you be a Little Broadbander while you're chomping your Railtrack sandwich, or rather a firm licensed by the company in charge of the tracks of your tears.

Megabeam and Railtrack, the latter soon to become a government agency, have signed a deal which means the 15 main stations here in the UK will let business rail travellers send excuses winging to their bosses and colleagues.

Megabeam is to provide "business travellers" broadband wireless access to their company intranets after a pilot scheme at Paddington, home to the famous stock market nightmare Paddington Bear.

Kings Cross, Euston, Victoria, London Bridge, Liverpool Street, Fenchurch Street, Charing Cross, Flitwick, Brummie New Street, Man Piccadilly, Leeds, Glasgow and Waverley will all have hot spots as part of Megabeam's cunning plan to allow frustrated rail travellers to smurf the web.

The same "hot spots" will also work in a network of hotels, and even stretch right into €urope, with the appropriate rate paid for.

The service will use Intel 802.11b wireless LANs operating at 2.4GHz, and twenty large corporations have already signed up to allow their employees to whistle while they try to get to work.

The rest of you common oiks who don't work for the 20 corporations will just have to see if you can get on your mobile phones and do the best you can.

As far as we can tell, there are no plans to ro-ro the scheme out for the hoi polloi...

Megabeam µ