Underground debate

London is abuzz with debate about whether mobile telephony on the Underground should be enhanced or banned altogether following last week`s announcement by London Transport that passengers will be able to use their cellphones at all stations within the next three years.

On one side, advocates of extended cellular service on the Tube in the name of progress say it is important to stay in touch, but opponents say being subjected to one end of several non-essential conversations taking place in the confines of a train carriage unnecessarily adds to the hell of travelling on the Tube at rush hour.

Adding fuel to the flames, London Transport also indicated cellular coverage could be extended to all trains at all times if there is a public demand.

Opponents say facilitating mobile phone use throughout the Underground network is a good example of technological progress that is not progress at all. Can more really be less when it comes to technology? In the quest for more, instead of enriching our lives, are we really impoverishing them by eliminating all possibility of quiet time?

Having listened to the debate across various media and experienced several annoying conversations at close range on a flying visit to the British capital, I can certainly understand the position of those opposing expansion of cellular coverage on the Underground. They advance several persuasive arguments.

In the quest for more, instead of enriching our lives, are we really impoverishing them by eliminating all possibility of quiet time?

Warwick Ashford, Technology Editor, ITWeb

I agree that losing a signal occasionally can cause serious inconvenience only rarely because it has been borne out by experience that most conversations are non-essential forms of communication.

I would also tend to agree that a total absence of any quiet time could have a negative impact. Aren`t there bound to be some consequences of never being out of reach and literally having nowhere to hide?

That said, however, I am among those who consider time spent commuting as lost time. Being able to make effective cellular communication calls while stuck on a train would be an example of technology enabling me to reclaim that lost time in some way. I count this as being positive.

Although daily commutes are important opportunities for quiet time in one`s day, travelling by car in Johannesburg means never having to be out of reach in emergencies.

While some commentators in the London debate characterise those who fear a lack of coverage as being neurotic, being able to advise people that I have been delayed by traffic and may be late for a meeting is an example of technology helping to reduce stress and improve human relations. This too, I count as being positive.

Opponents of wireless connectivity on the Tube also seem to be ignoring the positive possibilities of being able to access real-time travel information. There is also the future possibility of radio and television services while on the move. A fun prospect in my opinion.

It is rather amusing when travelling by plane to watch fellow passengers switch on their phones within seconds of landing and watch the tension drain from their faces. However, I would not go as far as one UK journalist who suggested that the withdrawal symptoms shown by people temporarily deprived of cellular coverage indicates that we are living in an increasingly neurotic world.

Like the woman sitting next to me in a West End show who spent both intervals reading and typing out SMS messages, I am a firm believer in reclaiming otherwise lost time. Commuters who are eager to utilise otherwise lost time will also be generating funds for improving the train service. Surely this is a good thing?

London Transport says it plans to use the wireless technologies for operational purposes to deliver a more efficient service. Another positive impact of technology, I would have thought?

As far as the threat of never knowing true peace again is concerned, I think it is merely a question of never forgetting that there is always an "off" button. That`s also why they invented voicemail as far as I am concerned. Once again, technology to the rescue.

Londoners are spoiled. It`s definitely time for them to get real. Here some of them are grumbling about the prospect of greater connectivity on their extensive underground train transport system and we don`t even have a public transport system worth talking about.

All things considered, for me "more is more" when it comes to technology because more means freedom of choice. I can always switch off my phone if I need some quiet time, but in the event of a real need, I could not conjure up a connection to a non-existent cellular network. I say give me all technology has to offer and let me decide what to do with it.