Tram passengers in Antwerp have been able to browse the internet free of charge since the beginning of October. Following the introduction of wifitrams in Ghent, this is the second step in the partnership between Hello bank!, De Lijn and its advertising subsidiary LijnCom to equip trams with free Wi-Fi. By financing the wifitrams, Hello bank! aims to increase its brand recognition further. By the end of November, there will be 90 wifitrams on the streets of Antwerp and Ghent.

Wifitrams recognisable from Hello bank! side panel

Mobility is part of the DNA of Hello bank!. The partnership with De Lijn to provide free Wi-Fi is therefore a logical choice. It gives passengers the opportunity to use their travelling time productively by, for example, answering emails, checking Facebook or banking with the Hello bank! app.  

The wifitrams are recognisable from the Hello bank! side panel: ‘Ontdek hier het gratis-wifi-gevoel-op-de-tram’. They make use of the Mobistar 3G/4G network. De Lijn has 30 wifitrams at the moment: 15 in Antwerp and 15 in Ghent. By the end of November there will be an additional 30 wifitrams both in Ghent and in Antwerp.

Register on the tram

Before you can browse the internet, you must first register on a wifitram. To do so, enter your mobile number at www.lijnnet.be and choose a password. You will then get a text message with a code that you will need to enter. Once you have done so, you will have access to the internet.

Free internet access of 250 megabytes each month

Browsing the net is free, with the exception of porn, illegal download sites and certain extremist sites. Registered passengers have a volume limit of 250 megabytes per month. That is amply sufficient to use social media, carry out financial transactions, browse the net and read emails.  De Lijn is still looking into whether subscribers can get more megabytes.