O2 will be powering 4G coverage on parts of the London underground from March as part of a major Transport for London (TfL) 4G trial.
The network operator will be powering 4G coverage on the Jubilee line between Westminster and Canning Town, which will coincidentally prove useful for people on the way to The O2 Arena at North Greenwich.
The 4G trial is part of a range of measures to boost digital connectivity across the city. TfL will be installing hundreds of miles of cabling as part of the rollout to facilitate coverage in the tunnels.
Despite there currently being 260 Wi-Fi enabled stations across the Underground and TfL rail services, O2 argues that there’s still a lack of mobile signal in many locations.
Derek McManus, COO at O2 said: “This is a fantastic project for O2 to be a part of and shows our relentless commitment to providing our network to our customers, wherever they are. The pilot will allow us to continue working hand in hand with TfL, and other network operators, to bring connectivity to commuters across London.”
Connectivity to 4G won’t be restricted to O2 customers either as TfL says it is working with a number of operators, including Vodafone, to enable tube travellers to have better access to the internet.
Shashi Verma, Chief Technology Officer at TfL, said: “It’s great that O2 has signed up to bring their 4G network to Jubilee line customers. The London Underground network is an incredibly challenging environment in which to deliver technological improvements, but we remain on course for customers to start benefiting from our pilot from March 2020.”
