High speed 4G and 5G networks have been expanded to new sections of London’s tube network.
The move is part of installation work to expand mobile coverage by Transport for London (TFL) and network provider Boldyn Networks.
Mobile coverage has been expanded along the Northern line with the tunnelled section between Balham and South Wimbledon recently getting mobile coverage, as well as Kennington, Oval, Tooting Broadway and South Wimbledon stations.
On the Victoria line, coverage is now being rolled out between Vauxhall and Pimlico.
TFL said mobile coverage will be expanded in the coming months along the Jubilee line, starting at Swiss Cottage and working its way along the line to link with existing coverage at Westminster.
The public transport provider added that major interchange stations such as Green Park and King’s Cross St Pancras, as well as further sections of the Victoria line from Green Park to Brixton, will also start to get high-speed mobile coverage for the first time.
Three UK, EE, Vodafone, and Virgin Media O2 (VMO2) are taking part in the rollout, with TFL saying the move will give its employees better connectivity to pass on information to support the safe and reliable running of the network.
The coverage will also host the new Emergency Services Network (ESN) which, when fully operational, will be able to give first responders immediate access to life-saving data, images and information in live situations and emergencies on the frontline.
Earlier this year, coverage on the Piccadilly line and Victoria line was extended up to King’s Cross St Pancras.
The Elizabeth Line received full 4G mobile coverage last year, which TFL said enabled “hundreds of thousands of customers” to browse the internet and make calls while travelling along London’s newest rail line.
Boldyn Networks, a neutral host network provider, was awarded a 20-year concession by TfL in June 2021 to deliver high speed mobile connectivity across the entire London Underground network.
TfL and Boldyn said they are working to introduce high-speed 4G and 5G mobile coverage across the whole Tube, Docklands Light Railway (DLR) and Elizabeth line network, including on the Windrush line between Highbury & Islington and New Cross.
Testing was recently completed to ensure that the introduction of mobile coverage wouldn’t impact the operation of the Tube network on the sub-service lines, meaning that coverage can start to be introduced to these lines later this year.
“We are committed to bringing high-speed 4G and 5G mobile coverage to the whole of the Tube network, allowing our customers to stay connected while travelling to work, shopping or socialising,” said Rebecca Bissell, director of technology product and operations at TfL.
“Further tunnelled sections will be going live in the coming months and we are working hard to bring the benefits of being able to stay in contact while travelling through our city as quickly as possible to the rest of the network.”
