N.Y.C. subway riders embracing free Wi-Fi

NEW YORK -- Emily Langmead was hesitant when she first heard of free Wi-Fi in the subway. Like many New Yorkers, she wondered what the catch was.

But now, she says, she uses it all the time.

One month in to wireless service being provided in six New York City subway stations, commuters such as Ms. Langmead are happy to have chances to connect when their trains head underground and pull into one of the stations with Wi-Fi.

"Are you kidding? Being able to check my email when the train is in the subway is an amazing thing," she said. "I love it."

The new service is part of a $200 million plan to connect the subway to the outside world. Transit Wireless, the company in charge of building and designing the network, is working with many carriers to provide cell phone and data connectivity services to all 277 underground stations in New York by 2017.

The service, sponsored by Google Offers, is available on train platforms at five stations, all in the Chelsea neighborhood. Customers of T-Mobile and AT&T can use cell phones in the six stations. Negotiations continue for telecom giants such as Verizon and Sprint to join.

Although some other cities have had data and cellphone connectivity in their subways for years, some New Yorkers were not thrilled with the idea because it can be disruptive. Others, though, see a benefit.

"It helps if you are in an emergency and you need to communicate with somebody and you don't have email or anything else functioning, I think it can be very useful," said subway rider Melissa Cardona-Bodhert.

While there have been concerns about noise pollution, the benefits of staying connected outweighed the concerns, said William Bayne, Jr., head of Transit Wireless.

Transit Wireless won the contract in 2007 to wire the city's subway system, now 105 years old. The project will take almost seven years because of the complexity of the system.

The company is working on the project on weekends and during off hours.