London Underground To Have Full 4G Coverage From 2020
19 July 2019, 10:16
Calling all passengers: Tube journeys will be made easier from next year when commuters will be able to make phone calls and go online anywhere on the underground network.
Transport for London (TfL) has announced that the entire Tube network will have full 4G connectivity by mid-2020.
The Jubilee Line will be the first to benefit, with the eastern half to get complete mobile connectivity on both platforms and tunnels from March 2020.
Mark Bulle, TfL’s head of infrastructure transformation said it should be fast enough to allow uninterrupted viewing of video streams.
“You should be able to stream live sports,” he said.
London Mayor Sadiq Khan said: "This is a really important step for the millions of people who use the Tube each year.
"Introducing 4G and, in the future, 5G, will help Londoners and visitors keep in touch and get the latest travel information while on the go."
The trial section will stretch from Westminster to Canning Town - excluding London Bridge and Waterloo stations - and cover platforms, tunnels, ticket halls and corridors.
The entire project is expected to require 2,000 kilometres of cabling with engineers working week-night shifts to minimise disruption to passengers.
The introduction of 24-hour tube services will limit the amount of access that engineering staff have to the tunnels.
Until now London commuters have had to rely on the wifi system available only in stations.
There are currently 260 wifi-enabled stations on the London Underground and on TfL rail services.
