S'pore car service serves up wireless on wheels

SINGAPORE--A new breed of wireless-enabled automobile that's hitting the streets will allow passengers to enjoy free broadband access while they are being chauffeured to their destinations.

Chauffeured car service provider Urban Spirit announced Wednesday it has partnered with service provider Mobile One to implement wireless hotspot connectivity on the company's fleet of vehicles.

The service is extended to a closed membership of customers, but new members can sign up by undertaking a simple registration process over the phone to Urban Spirit's call center, which operates 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

According to Patrick Duffy, Urban Spirit's managing director, the new wireless service is just another way of enhancing the company's service.

"Urban Spirit believes in providing a practical, reliable, comfortable and enjoyable car and chauffer service to its discerning member customer across Singapore," said Duffy in a company statement.

"We believe in consistently delighting our customers with our quality of service and our contribution towards making life easier, more convenient and just a little bit more fun."

The company's wireless service taps on Mobile One's third-generation (3G) network to create a broadband hotspot inside the vehicle, allowing customers with Wi-Fi enabled equipment to perform online activities such as browsing the Internet and downloading e-mail.

Urban Spirit adds that although the connection speed is up to 384kbps for both uploads and downloads, real-world performance may vary depending on coverage, location, network traffic and the type of data being transmitted.