Roaming underground

So London Underground has got around to letting people use mobile phones on the Tube--though of course, it's just a test for now.

But do you really want to be always within reach, wherever you go? When I'm not able to get a connection, the peace and quiet is actually productive--it gives me space to think.

The Underground's own passenger survey found that only a slight majority--56 percent--liked the idea of making calls in the tunnels. That's not many.

As a Tube exec pointed out, the bowels of the Underground are one of the few places in London where you can't use a mobile phone. Maybe people like it that way.

So is all this effort and money going on something that really, people (and businesses?) can do fine well without? Or is it always worth pushing the boundaries, if you can?