Jubilee line will have 4G coverage from March 2020

The eastern half of the Jubilee line will get full 4G mobile connectivity within station platforms and tunnels for the first time from March 2020 – helping to remove one of the most high-profile mobile ‘not-spots’ in the UK – Transport for London (TfL) has confirmed.

The trial section, which will cover the platforms and tunnels between Westminster and Canning Town, will allow customers to check for the latest travel information, catch up on social media and read their emails or the latest news uninterrupted as part of their journey. It will build on the existing free Wi-Fi service that TfL offers both within more than 260 Wi-Fi-enabled London Underground stations and on TfL Rail services. The service will also cover ticket halls and corridors within stations along this section of the Jubilee line, with the exception of London Bridge and Waterloo stations which, subject to final approvals, will be added later during 2020.

TfL has been working to bring mobile connectivity to the below ground sections of London Underground, as part of a range of measures announced by Mayor, Sadiq Khan, to boost digital connectivity across the capital and tackle London’s areas of poor connectivity.

The trialling of 2G, 3G and 4G mobile services along this section of the London Underground network will allow TfL and the mobile operators to gain valuable experience of delivering mobile services on the Underground ahead of awarding a concession to deliver mobile coverage across the whole Underground network. The next stage of procurement for the concessionaire will begin shortly, with a look to award the contract by Summer 2020.

By installing cabling within tunnels and stations in advance of awarding the concession, TfL can better manage station access, reduce the amount of disruption these works may cause to customers and allow the concessionaire to then quickly utilise infrastructure once the final contract is awarded. TfL has also begun discussions with mobile network operators to ensure they can access the infrastructure for the pilot so their customers can benefit when the technology goes live.

The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said: “I’m delighted that we will be introducing mobile connectivity to the London Underground from next March. This is a really important step for the millions of people who use the Tube each year. Introducing 4G and, in the future, 5G will help Londoners and visitors keep in touch and get the latest travel information while on the go. London is the best place to live, visit and work – and projects like this will help make it even better.”

Shashi Verma, Chief Technology Officer at TfL, said: “The London Underground network is an incredibly challenging environment in which to deliver technological improvements, but we are now well on the path to delivering mobile connectivity within our stations and tunnels. We have begun the complex work to allow our customers to be able to get phone reception within our tunnels from March 2020, with more stations and lines coming online during the coming years.”