Calling time
Around three quarters of Londoners do not want a mobile network on London's underground, according to a recent online poll.
It seems for many commuters the misery of packing themselves into a crowded carriage like sardines, often nestled in an overweight, sweaty man's armpit is trauma enough for one journey, without having to listen to Tracey's hen party escapades or Hugo's stock deals mobile conversations in an already noisy carriage.
In fact, Mobile News reported that just 24 percent of London residents want a mobile network on the tube, according to an online poll of 1,094 Londoners on GoodMobilePhones.co.uk.
The survey results follow yesterday's big news that China's Huawei is bidding to hook the tube up with mobile technology in time for the 2012 Olympics.
According to the survey, almost a third of people are against the use of mobiles on the tube because they worry it might increase the chance of them becoming a victim of a mugger or thief, while 16 percent reportedly said they think using their mobile underground will boost their bill.
Amazingly it appears that there was not simply an option that people might find it annoying having to listen to others' conversations in often cramped surroundings.
Of the 24 percent of people who backed the idea, most apparently said mobile access would make it easier for people to contact the emergency services if there was an incident. Such technology might have helped with the bombings on 7 July 2005, when the emergency services were accused of being too slow to treat injured people in wrecked tube carriages beacuse of communication problems.
Marc Owen, founder of GoodMobilePhones.co.uk, reportedly said: "The news of the underground mobile network certainly has caused quite a stir, but I am surprised to see so many people are against it. There are obviously risks with having increased usage of mobile phones on the tube, but these are things that can be sorted."
Other cities such as Paris and Hong Kong already allow commuters to use their mobiles on the subway and so it may be obvious that London looks to be heading in the same direction.
