Home
 » ISP News » 
Sponsored Links

Transport for London to Start 4G Mobile Trial on Jubilee Line

Tuesday, Mar 17th, 2020 (10:30 am) - Score 3,370
london_tube_train_network_rail_tfl_uk

As expected Transport for London (TfL) has today announced that their planned trial with O2, Vodafone, Three UK and EE (BT) of a new 4G mobile (mobile broadband) network along the Jubilee Line (platforms and tube trains in tunnels) – between Canning Town and Westminster stations – will go live tomorrow.

Initially this trial only covers the eastern section of the Jubilee line, although the plan is for this to cover all platforms and tunnels on the whole of the line by the end of 2020. The TfL project was first officially announced in July 2019 (here) and ultimately aims to make 4G services available across the whole of their London Underground (tube trains) network by the “mid-2020s” (c.2025).

NOTE: Procurement for a concessionaire agreement to facilitate 4G across the whole of the underground network could be ready by Summer 2020.

In theory it will allow passengers to make phone calls, check for the latest travel information, catch up on social media, watch a video and read their emails or the latest news “uninterrupted” during their journeys. Ticket halls and corridors within stations are also covered by the pilot, except for London Bridge and Waterloo stations where the signal will just be available on the Jubilee line platforms.

Advertisement

We should point out that 260 London underground stations are already separately covered with WiFi as a result of Virgin Media’s deployment some years ago, which can today also be harnessed by customers of all the major mobile operators. Meanwhile 79 London Overground stations are served by The Cloud (Sky). A WiFi Pass exists for those who aren’t existing members of those networks (here).

Derek McManus, COO of O2, said:

“We’re the UK’s number 1 network and we’re excited to be taking our award winning 4G connectivity underground into London’s tube network. Not only will the project bring much needed service to commuters across London – it will also mean thousands of fans travelling to The O2 for the best live entertainment events in the UK will now be able to share their experiences with friends and family, before and after a show.

We’re proud to be working with TfL and other mobile network operators to bring connectivity to where our customers need it most and we are excited to see the future potential of this project as it expands across the tube network.”

Naturally that brief reference to “fans travelling to The O2” above is perhaps somewhat of a moot point in the current climate.

UPDATE 2:44pm

Some additional comments have come in.

Advertisement

Marc Allera, CEO of BT’s Consumer Division, said:

“This is a big step for both connectivity, and for London. We’re looking forward to seeing how our customers use 4G on the Underground – it’s a big step forward for keeping entertained, and keeping in touch. We know how valuable that is, and this switch on aims to pave the way for a wider rollout across the Underground.”

David Dyson, CEO of Three UK, said:

“We want to help people stay connected and make the most of their daily commute, enjoying their favourite shows, talking to friends or just getting a head start on the working day. Every year, the average London commuter spends two weeks on the tube travelling to and from work, so there’s a huge opportunity for us to help people reclaim that valuable time.”

Share with Twitter
Share with Linkedin
Share with Facebook
Share with Reddit
Share with Pinterest
Mark-Jackson
By Mark Jackson
Mark is a professional technology writer, IT consultant and computer engineer from Dorset (England), he also founded ISPreview in 1999 and enjoys analysing the latest telecoms and broadband developments. Find me on X (Twitter), Mastodon, Facebook, BlueSky, Threads.net and .
Search ISP News
Search ISP Listings
Search ISP Reviews
Comments
4 Responses

Advertisement

  1. Avatar photo Herve Shango says:

    Finally

  2. Avatar photo Michael V says:

    I presume this is VoLTE? So only VoLTE phones can make use of the network.

  3. Avatar photo Harmz says:

    The second half of this video is quite good for showing how they’re deploying it:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EPjNDA7HWYk

    It’s worth watching.

    (the first half is pretty much just “it works!”)

  4. Avatar photo Alex says:

    It’s already live. Just used it between Canary Wharf and Canada Water

Comments are closed

Cheap BIG ISPs for 100Mbps+
Community Fibre UK ISP Logo
100Mbps
Gift: First 3 Months Free
Youfibre UK ISP Logo
Youfibre £23.99
150Mbps
Gift: None
Virgin Media UK ISP Logo
Virgin Media £23.99
132Mbps
Gift: None
Vodafone UK ISP Logo
Vodafone £25.00
150Mbps
Gift: None
NOW UK ISP Logo
NOW £25.00
100Mbps
Gift: None
Large Availability | View All
Cheap Unlimited Mobile SIMs
Talkmobile UK ISP Logo
Talkmobile £11.95
Contract: 12 Months
Data: 120GB
iD Mobile UK ISP Logo
iD Mobile £16.00
Contract: 24 Months
Data: Unlimited
Smarty UK ISP Logo
Smarty £18.00
Contract: 1 Month
Data: Unlimited
ASDA Mobile UK ISP Logo
ASDA Mobile £19.00
Contract: 24 Months
Data: Unlimited
Three UK ISP Logo
Three £20.00
Contract: 24 Months
Data: Unlimited
Cheapest ISPs for 100Mbps+
Community Fibre UK ISP Logo
100Mbps
Gift: First 3 Months Free
Gigaclear UK ISP Logo
Gigaclear £19.00
300Mbps
Gift: None
toob UK ISP Logo
toob £22.00
150Mbps
Gift: None
Beebu UK ISP Logo
Beebu £23.00
100 - 160Mbps
Gift: None
Hey! Broadband UK ISP Logo
150Mbps
Gift: None
Large Availability | View All
Promotion
Sponsored

Copyright © 1999 to Present - ISPreview.co.uk - All Rights Reserved - Terms , Privacy and Cookie Policy , Links , Website Rules , Contact
Mastodon