Free Wi-Fi on 90% of Beijing buses by end of year

An estimated 90% of buses in Beijing offer free Wi-Fi by the end of 2016, according to the Beijing News.

Free Wi-Fi is also offered on 12,000 buses within the 5th Ring Road that encircles urban Beijing. "Beijing has become the top provider of free Wi-Fi on buses in China," said Qiu Zhaomin, representative of the Wi-Fi supplier.

"95% of the buses within the 5th Ring Road offer free Wi-Fi, and the remaining 5% will be discarded," said Qiu.

Qiu said the Wi-Fi on buses in suburban areas is now being tested, and will be implemented by the end of this year.

To use free Wi-Fi service, passengers will need to simply download the application called "16WiFi" and register with real names.

Apart from offering internet connectivity, the application also provides real-time information of the buses including how many passengers are commuting.

In 2013, a Wi-Fi service was first attempted on Beijing's buses, but the service failed due to technology limits.

This time, the service is reported to provide daily for 500,000 people. "We use a 4G network, and the speed guarantee for 50 people in a bus to watch videos at the same time," said Qiu.