A fascinating story out of the U.K., where PC Advisor is reporting that Virgin Trains and Vodafone are working together for better mobile coverage on the rails.
Vodafone will be putting 2G and 3G repeaters into the 52 trains that do the London to Glasgow route. But that’s not what’s fascinating.
According to Vodafone, 70 per cent of business travellers talk business on their mobiles while they’re on the train. But that’s not what’s fascinating, either.
Vodafone says 15 per cent of business travellers discussed confidential products, services and strateges while travelling. (I see your eyebrow rising slightly.) And 26 per cent admitted they had followed up a lead that they picked up by eavesdropping on someone else’s conversation. That’s fascinating.
People with cellphones have an unfortunate habit of forgetting they’re in public. They discuss the cringingly personal, they have knock-down, drag-out screaming matches with partners, and they leak confidential business information like sieves, because apparently they equate having a phone in their hands as being in private. You’re not. Don’t forget it.