First Milestone of 4G Rollout on London Underground Completes

Infrastructure firm BAI Communications (BAI) has announced the completion of the first milestone of its rollout of 4G and 5G-ready mobile (mobile broadband) coverage across the London Underground, which introduces uninterrupted coverage on the eastern section of the Jubilee Line. But only EE (BT) and Three UK have signed to use it.

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. The goal is to cover the entire London Underground (platforms and tube trains) by late 2024.

The deal 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 (this was fitted outside operational hours). All four MNOs took part in that trial, but so far only EE and Three UK have reached an agreement to harness the final network (here and here).

Naturally, the first section to benefit was inevitably going to be the same bit as the earlier trial on the Jubilee Line, which ensures mobile coverage between Westminster and Canning Town. Progress on the project continues with work ongoing along the Elizabeth line and at Oxford Circus, Tottenham Court Road, Bank, Euston and Camden Town all on track to become connected by the end of 2022.

Billy D’Arcy, CEO of BAI Communications UK, said:

“We’re pleased to announce this first major delivery milestone on our journey to transforming London’s connectivity. Customers of our launch partners, Three and EE, will be able to enjoy permanent access to uninterrupted mobile connectivity whilst travelling on the eastern Jubilee Line. This will provide a massive boost to the passenger experience and marks an important next step on the project’s journey as we accelerate towards a hyperconnected London.”

Shashi Verma, Chief Technology Officer at TfL, said:

“It’s great that following our successful pilot over the last two years, BAI Communications will now be permanently providing 4G coverage to the eastern section of the Jubilee line. We Look forward to coverage being extended to more stations and tunnels in the coming years, which will provide greater connectivity to customers and support London’s economic recovery.”

At the end of last year Vodafone said they also expected to sign-up to the new mobile network in January 2022, but we’re still waiting for that announcement to surface. We also expect O2 (VMO2) to follow at some point, although they haven’t yet broadcast a solid expectation.

However, both O2 and Vodafone are still active on the original pilot service are said to be continuing their discussions with BAI on access agreements. At present, it’s unclear why it’s taking so long for them to reach a solid agreement, but no doubt there will be a concern over costs (BAI needs to recoup their investment on what is not a cheap network to build).