- Passengers on the London Underground are set to enjoy permanent high-speed mobile coverage between Westminster and Canning Town
- The takeover marks the completion of the first major project milestone, with coverage on platforms and tunnels on the Elizabeth Line set to go live later this year
- Three and EE were the first mobile operators to join BAI Communications’ network in December 2021, which will enable mobile coverage across the Underground by the end of 2024
BAI Communications (BAI) has completed the first milestone of its rollout of high-speed mobile coverage across the London Underground as it launches a permanent 4G service on the eastern section of the Jubilee Line.
Customers of Three and EE are the first to be confirmed to have permanent access to 4G and 5G-ready communications between Westminster and Canning Town. The connectivity has been available as part of a pilot service since March 2020. This follows agreements made last year by both mobile operators to join BAI’s network, making them the first to cement their commitment to providing coverage to London Underground passengers.
Whilst on this section of the Jubilee Line, customers will continue to be able to check the latest travel information, keep on top of their emails, catch up on social media, live stream videos wherever they are on the Underground.
Permanent service has been enabled by BAI, who were awarded a 20-year concession by Transport for London (TfL) in June 2021 to deliver mobile connectivity on the Underground. This marks the completion of the first milestone of BAI’s Connected London project, which has seen the handover of all infrastructure as well as the development and refinement of the previous network support model to meet the needs of a permanent commercial service.
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.”
Robert Finnegan, CEO, Three said: “We at Three are investing more than £2bn in transforming our network and IT infrastructure as we continue to deliver ‘Better connectivity, Every day for Every customer’. We’re delighted that Three customers are amongst the first, on parts of the London Underground, to enjoy great connectivity and look forward to coverage extending across the entire tube network in the not-too-distant future.”
Marc Allera, CEO Consumer Division, BT Group, said: “In 2020, EE brought our UK leading 4G network to the London Underground for the first time, as part of a trial on the Jubilee Line. We’re delighted that service is now being made permanent for our customers, as the first step to delivering full EE connectivity throughout the entire tube network by 2024.”
Progress on the project continues with work across London, with work 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. All stations and tunnels across the Tube network are due to have high-quality and uninterrupted mobile coverage by the end of 2024.
