East Japan Railway, or JR-East, is planning to introduce free public wireless LAN in stages beginning mid-2018 on its Tohoku, Joetsu, Hokuriku and Akita shinkansen lines in central and northeastern Japan.
Bullet trains in other regions already offer free Wi-Fi. But these require users to have a subscription with service providers.
JR-East says its service will be the first that can be accessed by simply registering an email address.
But it notes that connections could be lost in tunnels and mountainous areas.
The company already offers this type of service on the Narita Express, which links central Tokyo and Narita International Airport.
Foreign tourists often complain about the lack of free Wi-Fi on Japan’s transport network.
JR-East says the service will be available in nearly 80 percent of its shinkansen trains by March 2020.
Source: NHK
Image: Bank Image
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