EE and Three UK Deal to Put 4G and 5G on London Underground UPDATE

Mobile operators EE (BT) and Three UK have today become the first two network providers to reach a special deal, which will enable them to deploy 4G and 5G based mobile (mobile broadband) services across the entire London Underground by late 2024 (ticket halls, platforms and tunnels). Vodafone to follow.

Just to recap. Transport for London (TfL) announced in June 2021 (here) that it had awarded a 20-year concession deal to global mobile infrastructure firm BAI Communications (BAI), which will build the network itself and then make it available via wholesale for Mobile Network Operators (MNO) to harness.

All of this followed a successful trial on the Jubilee Line (eastern half of the line), which saw TfL install a neutral host distributed antenna system (DAS) that was supported by hundreds of kilometres of fibre optic cable laid in tunnels for data capacity (fitted outside of operational hours). All four MNOs took part in that trial.

Suffice to say, it was only a matter of time before the first operators signed deals with BAI to harness the new infrastructure, with EE and Three UK today becoming the first to jump and thus overcoming some early concerns about the high cost of entry.

Both operators will also be able to access the London Underground WiFi, as well as BAI’s neutral host mobile network, which can also be made available to the Emergency Services Network (ESN). The deployed infrastructure will all be “5G-ready“.

Sadiq Khan, Mayor of London, said:

“I’m delighted to see Three and EE sign up as the first operators to provide full high-speed 4G access across the Tube network. This will make a huge difference to passengers, allowing them to make calls, read emails and check travel information while on the move. Investing in London’s connectivity and digital infrastructure is one important way we are helping to stimulate our city’s economy. It also represents a significant step towards ensuring the whole tube network has 5G-ready mobile coverage.”

Three CEO, Robert Finnegan, said:

“Three is delighted to be part of bringing even more connectivity to our customers in London. They will be able to enjoy smooth streaming, phone calls underground and continued seamless coverage while they travel, even in tunnels.”

Philip Jansen, CEO of BT Group, said:

“This is huge news for customers and for London, bringing EE’s coverage to previously unreachable parts of the city’s transport system. This deal puts BT at the heart of plans to help London digitally leapfrog its rivals and maintain its status as a world-leading destination for tourists and businesses, as well as a home to millions of citizens. Our investment in the capital is part of our mission to digitise the entire UK, as we build like fury to expand our fibre and mobile networks further and faster than anyone else.”

Work at some of London’s busiest stations, including Oxford Circus, Tottenham Court Road, Bank, Euston and Camden Town, is already underway to prepare them to be some of the first to be “connected by the end of 2022“. All stations and tunnels across the Tube network are then planned to have “high-quality and uninterrupted mobile coverage” by the end of 2024.

Progress also continues to be made to ensure that customers on the forthcoming Elizabeth Line can enjoy mobile connectivity as soon as possible once it has opened in the first half of 2022. Work is now underway to allow 4G to start being introduced for customers on both the trains and platforms during 2022. From launch, customers will be able to benefit from WiFi connectivity within stations along the line in the same way they currently experience within Tube stations. WiFi access within the tunnels will be introduced later in 2022.

BAI anticipates investing more than £1bn across the Connected London programme, which will see a backbone of mobile and digital connectivity established across London. A full-fibre network will also be delivered that will connect to buildings and street assets, like traffic lights and lampposts that house small mobile transmitter cells to leverage the power of 5G and the Internet of Things (IoT). These can then be used by boroughs, academics and developers to deliver improvements in everything from air quality and traffic congestion to public safety and city planning etc.

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.

UPDATE 9:06am

Good news for Vodafone customers. A spokesperson for the operator just told us this: “We’re excited about bringing 4G to the London Underground after the successful trials of the last few years – negotiations have progressed well, and we expect to sign up with BAI next month.”