Japan’s Bullet Trains to Get Wi-Fi

Passengers on the famous Japanese Shinkansen “bullet trains” will be able to surf the Internet while traveling at 300 kilometers per hour, thanks to a new service planned by the railway operator. But there’s going to be quite a wait until the first wireless LAN-equipped trains arrive at the platform. Central Japan Railway (JR Tokai), which operates the Shinkansen service between Tokyo and the western Japanese city of Osaka, said it plans to offer wireless Internet service throughout all cars of its new N700-series trains in early 2009.

Few details of the Internet service have been worked out, except that it will be delivered to passengers through wireless LAN base stations located in each car of the train. A service provider has yet to be selected, and no decision has been made on whether the service will be offered at no charge, a JR Tokai spokesman said. Continue>>