The universal traveler’s lament these days seems to be “where’s the free Wi-Fi ?”. Cities around the world have floated all kinds of public schemes, but none seems to have reached fruition as of yet. But just in time for the 2012 Olympics the City of London has partnered with Virgin Media to install free Wi-Fi hotspots at 80 Underground stations. The full system is scheduled to be running by the first week in July. Wi-Fi service will only be accessible on the platform level and not on trains.

That’s the good news. The bad news is that the free service will end with the closing ceremonies of the Olympics. At that time Virgin will then be offering pay-as-you-go and subscription service only.

While travelers wait for municipal plans to take-off, some private initiatives have quietly blossomed. In Montreal, the non-profit organization île sans fil has launched more than 250 free Wi-Fi hotspots around the city. Travelers can find free service in cafés, bars, bistros, libraries and parks. And, it’s not even necessary to open an account—just log-on.

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There’s also a popular free Wi-Fi service spreading throughout New York City. NYCwireless has been slowly setting up hotspots in public places around the city in parks, coffee shops and building lobbies.

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