Virgin Media has won the contract to provide wi-fi on the London Underground. The service, active at over 80 Tube stations, will be free during the Olympic Games – but will be charged on a pay-as-you-go basis after the summer.

“Its vital that we harness the massive opportunities stemming from the digital revolution, by creating a vibrant, world-class industry to attract investment and create jobs for Londoners,” says Boris Johnson, Mayor of London. “Millions of passengers will now be able to connect to their work, friends or access the latest news and travel information whilst on the move. This is a fabulous new and free resource which will be in place from this summer when London is being showcased on a global stage and playing host to millions.”

The connection will be available at platforms and stations only – 120 in total by the end of 2012 – and not on the Tube itself, but it will make the process of getting travel information easier for customers, and help staff keep up-to-date with live information. Mostly importantly of all, though, it will mean that all those QR-enabled poster campaigns on the Underground will actually do something.

Jess Butcher, CMO of Blippar, which is today running an Augmented Reality campaign on the cover of commuter favourite The Metro, reckons its a chance for mobile advertisers to target commuters while theyre bored.
“Smart brands will start to think about how they can make the most of that captive audience waiting for their trains, perhaps through games that pass the time, or through video clips or text that gives people something extra to look at and read,” says Butcher. “Putting wi-fi on Tube platforms and stations massively enhances the power and potential of technologies like image recognition and AR. It’s a chance for advertisers and brands to come up with entirely new ways to get commuters’ attention, and I’m sure we’ll see a whole range of new Augmented Reality campaigns on Tube platforms starting this summer.”