Will Beijing Bus WiFi Suck?

Originally published on tech.qq.com.cn, 05/12/2014

On December 4, China National Radio (CNR) announced from Beijing, during its peak evening news show, that free WiFi is finally coming to Beijing buses. This has been in planning for nearly two years (and can be seen advertised on snazzy blue signs around the city); free WiFi on buses is once again a hot topic in Beijing—with previous experiences of shoddy network access and other issues, the dream of public WiFi networks had all but vanished into the ether.

This announcement came concurrently with news that 12,000 of Beijing's city buses will be upgraded with 4G WiFi network cards, enabling connections possessing bandwidths of up to 50MB/s, which authorities estimate will provide for 40 passengers to ride and stream simultaneously.

Despite this free meal, will citizens still go hungry? Some are concerned that the service will be very complicated to use: one must first download the "E-Way WiFi" app and then register an account in order to connect. Once connected, suspicions abound that great differences exist between the declared 4G network speed and the actual speed users will experience.

Despite promises of reportedly 'capacious' access, many passengers are still appalled. Following "disconnections", ruffled passengers are asking how often will public services face these technical difficulties? Free bus WiFi wants to love you, but it's no easy pairing.

(Source)