Student makes easy money offering Wi-Fi on train  

Devices Wang used to offer Wi-Fi services on train: a 3G card, a second-hand laptop and Wi-Fi software(Photo source: Chinanews.com)

The price list for Wang's Wi-Fi services(Photo source: Chinanews.com)

(ECNS) -- A student has earned 500 yuan ($83) within half an hour by providing pay-to-use Wi-Fi service to passengers on a train.

The man surnamed Wang, 19, is a college student at a university in Chengdu. He bought a 3G card and borrowed a second-hand laptop from his roommate, then downloaded free Wi-Fi software.

On the train home from school, Wang plugged the 3G card into the laptop and turned the computer into a portable Wi-Fi hotspot.

Wang charged users by the hour. He also put a price list on his table, which read: "10 yuan per hour for connection running at 20KB/s; 15 yuan per hour for connection running at 50KB/s; 20 yuan per hour for connection running at 100KB/s."

An official from the railway administration said the practice should be banned, as peddling is prohibited on trains.

An insider at the China Academy of Railway Sciences said there was no plan for the railway administration to provide on-train Wi-Fi coverage.