Friday, February 22, 2008

Stockholm, Sweden Gets Connected

I am not a fan of Stockholm’s public transportation, SL. I just don’t like them. Anyone reading this blog on a semi-regular basis is probably well aware of that fact and has tired of my incessant ranting. Fair enough. That being said though, SL did something I just couldn’t help but notice. In a good way.

SL has begun testing wireless internet connections on a bus route that stretches about 70 km. That’s impressive. And cool. And free. Yup, completely free. Which, having once “borrowed” internet is something I love to hear.

They are looking to possibly implement this on all aspects of SL. Which would be amazing since I spend at least 36 minutes of my day on the pendeltåg. Not that I’m counting or anything. And apparently it is supposed to stay free. While I am a bit skeptical of this because of the way SL seems to enjoy raising ticket prices I’m going to take a leap of faith. I am going to believe what SL says. Free internet for everyone! As long as you pay to get on the train. Or bus. Or subway.

I must say I am impressed by the connectivity of the Nordic countries. I believe that Finland is often referred to as being the cell phone capital of the world in regards to cell phones per capita. Someone needs to check me on that because while I am fairly confident I try to avoid being a liar. And now Sweden, or Stockholm at least, is trying to offer free internet on public transportation. That’s pretty cool.

Welcome to Sweden. The land of connected public transportation.

10 comments:

  1. Seems like your turning into a real stockholmer. How much SL sucks is a common discussion topic here.

    (though this is actually a good idea, I just hope they implement it soon enough).

    ReplyDelete
  2. don´t forget sony eriksson(swedish - japan) company.
    They sells more cellphone than nokia (finish).

    ReplyDelete
  3. yeah it should be interesting to see how it works out. hopefully they get it on everything not just the buses. mostly from a selfih standpoint because I am very seldom on the bus.

    and good catch... I can't believe I failed to mention eriksson!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Hey why don't they do that here in Gothenburg???

    ReplyDelete
  5. clearly stockholm is just at the forefront of public transportation technology.

    ReplyDelete
  6. I think that Stockholm is a bit more advanced in mobile tech than Finland, but Stockholm isn't actually the whole of Sweden. In spite of the fact that many like to think so. :)

    When it comes to selling phones, Sony Ericsson (note the typoless writing) sells more in Sweden alright. But globally they don't stand a chance to Nokia. I guess that's common knowledge, but some seem to have forgotten it... For what's it worth: I use them both!

    ReplyDelete
  7. good catch on the typo. Im a little ashamed I missed that...

    and good work on covering all of your bases. the real question though is: which do you prefer?

    ReplyDelete
  8. This may come to you as a big surprise, but I prefer Nokia :)

    I must admit that I like the touch screen in Sony Ericsson very much, but the phone's usability lacks consistence. At least in models I have held in my hands.

    I started to respect Nokia only after I started using Sony Ericsson here in Sweden...

    ReplyDelete
  9. What?! I'll be waiting for your apology smek this!;)

    robban

    ReplyDelete
  10. a clear case of not realizing what you've got until its gone. or in finland at least.

    ReplyDelete

Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.