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Issue 428

Voted Best Magazine in the Independent Mobile Phone Dealers Association Awards 2007

Clark White also publishes

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Consumer news, features and reviews

Devika: No more break-ups

September 17, 2008

Devika Sen-Gupta weighs up the good and bad of using mobile phones in places we never could before

Travel will inevitably change now that O2 has announced the expansion of its network allowing customers to use its service in underground stations.

As with everything there are pros and cons. Indeed it’s a step forward for mobile technology as it enables customers to inform their spouse or office of delays to their commute – good times. However, rush hour commuters may have one more annoying habit of chatting away in crowded stations whilst other more etiquette-conscious commuters rustle their newspapers loudly in protest of the noisy banter – bad times.

However, those of us not lucky enough to live or commute to Glasgow or own an O2 SIM may have to wait a while to test out this technology – if at all.

It will mean our Glaswegian friends can talk to people more often for emergencies, and making them that little bit more contactable when travelling as we now live in a world where communication is everything and we tend to feel helpless if our mobiles are left on the table in the morning.

Also pending is the ability to use mobiles in aircrafts en route to a holiday destination. These two advances will change travel as we know it giving everyone access to everyone else whenever they want.

It’s inevitable that we will soon be able to use our mobiles on the trains in tunnels when we undoubtedly get stuck due to “signal failure”. This so-called signal failure is likely to be a thing of the past for mobiles, however it also means that clichéd excuse to get off the phone - “I’m in a tunnel you’re breaking up” - will no longer suffice.

This is great progress for the industry and one can only imagine where technology will take us in 10 years' time – perhaps network coverage in outer space in time for a trip on one of Branson’s Virgin Galactic spaceships.