Mobile phone and Internet access go live inside Channel Tunnel

LONDON: Just in time for the start of the Olympic Games in London, passengers traveling between continental Europe and Britain via the Channel Tunnel will now be able to remain connected to the telephone and data networks through the tunnel 100m below sea level.

The service, first announced by Eurotunnel and French mobile operators in March, took effect July 25 and allows customers to use their mobile phones to make calls and access the Internet using 2G/3G technology.

The announcement is good news for the more than 20 million passengers using the 53km tunnel every year.

The tunnel is shared by Le Shuttle, a vehicle-carrying service between Calais/Coquelles in France and Folkestone in Britain, and Eurostar, a high-speed train service between London and Brussels or Paris.

In the first semester of 2012, around 7 million passengers used the tunnel, around 66 percent used the Eurostar.

Eurostar announced back in May that travellers will be able to use WiFi to surf the Internet onboard from early next year, afetr a 700 million pound (RM3.4bil) fleet renewal and refurbishment programme. - Relaxnews