Vodafone UK Reintroduced Public WiFi to London Underground

Mobile network operator Vodafone UK has today announced that they’ve “reintroduced” a WiFi service for their customers travelling on the London Underground, which comes after they scrapped their original service (here) – supplied via a wholesale network run by Virgin Media – back in 2021.

Several of our readers reported spotting this network go live at the end of last week, although the weekend meant that we didn’t get the official answer until today. But unlike the original network, this one is being powered by new mobile and WiFi infrastructure (small cells etc.) from BAI Communications (Boldyn Networks), which is also rolling out a “neutral host” (wholesale) 4G and 5G network as part of a 20-year concession deal with Transport for London (TfL).

The new network is similar to the old one, as it will allow Vodafone customers to connect to the internet at more than 260 stations across the Tube network. Meanwhile, we recently revealed that Virgin Media were preparing to retire their Out-Of-Home public WiFi network “from” 1st November 2023 (here), which is due to declining usage and the high cost of keeping it alive.

Andrea Dona, Vodafone UK’s Network Director, said:

“Our customers who regularly use the tube have told us that having access to WiFi is extremely important to them, so we’ve listened and reactivated the service on a new more reliable system, that is easy to use and provides seamless experience. Alongside our newly arrived 4G and 5G signal, we hope the new service will ensure our customers using the service have the connection they want and expect whilst travelling across the capital.”

However, Vodafone probably won’t be the only operator to harness this, since it’s based off BAI’s cell infrastructure and that means all operators have the capability to sign an agreement for the launch of a similar service. A quick look at Vodafone’s website also states that their WiFi service on the London Underground is still “free” for customers (here).