A lot of things don’t come easy in Israel, but Wi-Fi, thankfully is not one of them.
The Middle Eastern political hotspot has in fact become a hotspot of the wireless kind too, a virtual paradise of unlocked networks, from buses to cafes, hospitals to municipalities and much more besides.
Never mind the fact that the 3G in Israel is blisteringly fast with excellent coverage throughout the country, the promise of free and available Wi-Fi throughout the Holy Land is not just a dream.
Herzeliya municipality, 10 inutes north of Tel Aviv, for example, offers free Wi-Fi along its café laden main street. So does Jerusalem’s city center and Tel Aviv’s popular Even Gvirol street. Clinics throughout the country offer waiting patients a soothing dose of Internet, academic institutes have long succumbed to the pressure of students wanting free access to Facebook, and even the buses are taking mobile broadband, er, mobile.
Israel’s buses have often been in the headlines for all the wrong reasons, with bombings sadly a frequent occurrence throughout the country’s short history. But Israel’s Metropolin bus service wants to make its service famous for a far more optimistic reason – free wifi for passengers enjoying their daily commute.
The company has invested over $260 million in kitting out its bus fleet with really fast Wi-Fi, which has been effect since May 1 of last year. Pulling down speeds of some 5Mbs, the service is very usable indeed, and much appreciated by those stuck in traffic.
WI-Fi also isn’t the only hi-tech feature of Metroplin buses. The firm also allows passengers to send SMS messages or call a number to get real-time updates about the arrival time of their bus. The response is generated by an on-bus GPS-computerized system.
They’re green too, with the fleet meeting strict European regulations regarding concerns of air pollution and emissions.
Now if only we had such advanced public transport in the US.
