Free Wi-Fi will appear in the Kiev subway

On the eve of Euro 2012 Kiev metro is planned to be equipped the free Wi-Fi internet access. Kiev metro administration has developed a special investment project to begin a full-scale work on development of the Internet infrastructure. It is aimed to solve the problem of funding installation of equipment for wireless network access.

Today free Wi-Fi is available at one subway station Maidan Nezalezhnosti (Independence Square) in the test mode. However, in the near future popular service will be introduced at all stations.

It is expected that Internet access in the Kiev subway will be unlimited and free. The maximum number of connections and the number of access points will determined by the investor.

Now it is difficult to determine the exact cost of Wi-Fi internet equipment for the Kiev metro. It can only be said that installation of telecommunication systems at the Independence Square station cost investors 100 thousand UAH. The estimated price of the metro Wi-Fi system, which was voiced by the Kyiv city administration in March 2012, is 8.5 million UAH. This project provides for Wi-Fi access only at the stations. Estimated cost of developing Wi-Fi access system in the Kiev subway trains is about 70 million UAH.

According to the developers, one of the main revenue sources is advertising. However, introducing of a special tariff is also possible.

It is also unknown whether all stations of the Kiev metro will be equipped with Wi-Fi by the beginning of Euro 2012. It can even happen that test Wi-Fi will be unavailable for the metro passengers. During the football championship it is planned to close access to three metro stations in Kiev - Independence Square, and, if necessary, Khreshchatyk and Theatralnaya.

Wi-Fi is not the only digital technology that will create access to the World Wide Web at the Kiev subway. Leading Ukrainian mobile operators announced its plans to introduce high-speed 3G internet access network in the subway for the European football championship.