California rail service offers wireless Internet

California rail operator Altamont Commuter Express (ACE) will begin a three-month trial providing wireless Internet access for commuters--a first in the United States. The three-month trial is scheduled to begin in mid-September and will provide free Internet access to ACE passengers, allowing first-time access to email, the Internet, corporate intranets, instant messaging and digital entertainment while in transit. ACE, which serves business travelers commuting from Stockton to San Jose, Calif., signed an agreement with PointShot Wireless, a developer of wireless solutions for mobile environments, to implement the trial of the Wi-Fi enabled train. The service is free of charge during the trial, and ACE passengers only need a Wi-Fi-enabled laptop computer or PDA to access the broadband wireless service. ACE, which averaged more than 3,000 passers per day in 2002, expects 25% to 30% of its passengers will immediately utilize the serve.