London Underground Set for Full 4G Mobile Coverage by 2024

The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, and Transport for London (TfL) have today confirmed that, following a recent trial on the Jubilee Line (here), they intend to proceed with their proposed plan to deploy a 4G based mobile (mobile broadband) network across the entire London Underground (platforms and tube trains) by late 2024.

The original non-commercial trial on the Jubilee Line (eastern half of the line) saw TfL install a neutral host distributed antenna system (DAS), which was supported by hundreds of kilometres of fibre optic cable that had been laid in tunnels – as well as similar surface assets to support ‘last mile’ connectivity.

All four UK mobile phone network operators – EE (BT), Vodafone, O2 (VMO2) and Three UK – took part in the trial and were offering a service to their customers. The network enabled 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.

The pilot project itself was scheduled to last for 24 months until March 2022, but clearly it went well because TfL now intends to proceed to a full deployment. In keeping with that, TfL has just awarded a 20-year concession agreement to BAI Communications (BAI), which is a global provider of mobile infrastructure. Mobile operators will then be charged for access (wholesale).

Sadiq Khan, Mayor of London, said:

“I’m delighted to announced today that I am fulfilling that commitment and full internet access will be available across the Tube, with key central London stations such as Oxford Circus and Euston set to benefit before the end of next year.

Protecting jobs and stimulating our city’s economy is a top priority for me as London rebuilds after this pandemic, and investing in London’s connectivity and digital infrastructure is central to this.”

The first places to benefit from this will include some of the busiest stations, such as Oxford Circus, Tottenham Court Road, Euston, Camden Town and Bank, which could be ready by the end of 2022. Naturally, it takes a long time to deploy this sort of network because it has to be done safely, to fit around an otherwise very busy underground transport network, where access is limited.

The announcement may also help to explain why Vodafone quietly stopped being available via the underground’s WiFi network last week (here). At present, around 260 London Underground stations are covered with WiFi as a result of Virgin Media’s deployment some years ago, which was made available to customers of mobile operators via way of a wholesale agreement. Meanwhile, anybody else has to pay for a special pass.

In theory, any operator able to offer mobile broadband to London Underground stations and tube trains would have less need for WiFi connectivity. On the other hand, it will take a few years for TfL to complete the build and thus Vodafone appears to have made their move early and without giving their customers any prior warning.

However, our own sources have indicated that BAI may be making it quite expensive for mobile operators to get involved with the new network (hardly surprising, given the cost of deployment in such an environment). As such, it remains to be seen how many operators actually sign-up to the final network, thus it may be premature for Mayor Khan to claim his job is done. It’s not even built yet.