By Natasha Lomas, 19 May 2009 12:15
NEWS
The London Eye is investing in its wi-fi as part of a multimillion-pound revamp.
The capital's viewing wheel, which has seen more than 33 million visitors take a turn in one of its pods since it opened in 2000, is looking to boost the functionality, speed and bandwidth of its current wi-fi system as part of a £12.5m refurbishment which it hopes will ensure it continues to wow tourists for years to come.
As part of the refurbishment, the 32 Eye pods will be removed one at a time to be spruced up offsite with minor visual makeovers, as well as a more eco-friendly heating and ventilation system.
One pod, however, will also get four ceiling-mounted screens and enhanced multimedia and wi-fi capabilities which will enable content to be uploaded so passengers in this uber pod can do presentations and play music and video.
London Eye said tweaks to the other 31 capsules will mean they can support such "increased technological functions" in the future.
A spokesperson for the London Eye added: "Although only one capsule is currently scheduled to have all these capabilities, once we are happy with the functionality and its contribution to the customer experience we will make a decision to activate it in the other 31 capsules."
London Eye's improved wi-fi system will not, however, be open to the public. But the spokesperson said: "We are also keen to gauge public interest in such improvements and should we find a demand for further capabilities, the London Eye will look at the feasibility of producing a method of providing visitor experience content to mobile devices using this system."
The pod refurbishment process is scheduled to be completed by 2012.
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1. Anthony Hunt
Why? Surely you can do without an internet connection for 15 minutes?
Do you want to be in a 10x15 ft pod with a derranged World of Warcraft addict? No, me neither!