Brits to have full 4G and 5G coverage across London Underground by 2024
Last year, Transport for London awarded a 20-year deal to communications infrastructure company BAI Communications. First step — BAI is looking to have full 4G coverage across London Underground by 2024.
Work has started on the eastern end of the Jubilee Line and the next five stations to get coverage are Bank, Oxford Circus, Tottenham Court Road, Euston, and Camden Town.
But wait — infrastructure is all well and good, but not very useful unless you have mobile providers, you know, actually providing the signal. Well, the good news is that all four major UK carriers have now agreed to join that particular adventure, so whenever BAI is ready to press the big green buttons for each new section, most London Underground travellers will instantly get 4G.
The news comes as Vodafone and Virgin MediaO2 agreed to sign on, after EE and Three were already on board. Since the Tube is such a prominent means of transportation for Londoners, it’s obviously that it’s long overdue for some stable signal upgrades. As Vodafone UK CEO Ahmed Essam put it — it’s an important step in building a world-class digital infrastructure in the UK.