Connecting the tube

Mobile connectivity is being rolled out across the London Underground and Elizabeth Line – at no cost to London’s taxpayers. PHILIP SHERRATT explains how it is being delivered

Overnight working: installation in progress at Queensway. COURTESY TFL/BOLDYN
 

Like it or not, mobile devices play an increasingly significant role in many of our lives. Providing good mobile connectivity is therefore a prevalent ambition, and this extends to the stations and tunnels of the London Underground, where a rollout of 4G and 5G is now taking place.

In June 2021 TfL awarded a 20-year concession to Boldyn Networks (formerly BAI Communications) to provide high-speed mobile coverage on the tube network, fulfilling a pledge in Mayor of London Sadiq Khan’s manifesto. This followed a pilot installation for 4G coverage by TfL between Canning Town and Westminster on the Jubilee Line extension in 2020.

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