Montreal metro now allows customers of all four wireless providers in Canada - Bell, Rogers, TELUS and Videotron - to access 3G, 4G and 4G LTE connectivity on the green line which runs through the downtown area between the Guy-Concordia and Saint-Laurent stations in Montreal. The service is enabled via a partnership between all four operators and the Société de transport de Montréal (STM).
The service will allow customers to access data service on various connectivity enabling them to browse the Internet, watch videos, listen to streamed music and make and receive calls directly from within the metro cars and throughout the tunnels and stations. According to a joint statement by all the parties involved, Montréal will become one of the very few cities in the world to boast an underground subway equipped with 4G LTE mobile network. The statement also said that this recent implementation is the first of five phases of a 5 to 7 year project that will see the service being rolled out to other lines and stations. The next stations and lines to receive the service will be between Beaudry and Guy-Concordia on the green line and between Mont-Royal and Namur on the orange line.
Martine Turcotte, Vice Chair, Québec, at Bell
Bell is pleased to launch our world-class wireless services in the Montréal metro, and proud to share our network expertise as we continue to bring this project to life for metro users. Quebecers enjoy the best wireless networks in the world and STM customers can now tap into the power of those networks from their smartphones even while they travel the metro. Today, the Montréal metro just got better.
Philippe Schnobb, chair, STM
The fact that the first stretch is finished is great news because it means that our customers can stay connected while travelling, allowing them to plan their travels by consulting schedules and routes on our website and using mobile tools, receive information from the STM in real time or simply consult their favourite apps while travelling. The mobile network in the metro is opening up new possibilities in mobility for our commuters. We are also meeting our objective of offering an enhanced and more enjoyable user experience while continuing to improve the delivery of real-time information to our customers.
Sylvain Roy, President, Rogers Quebec
The average Montréaler spends about 30 minutes commuting to work each day – that's at least one hour each day round-trip. Access to a reliable wireless network in the Montréal metro gives them more time to catch up on emails; send a quick note to family and friends; find a new recipe for dinner or take a moment to relax and browse their favourite online content. At Rogers, our goal is to deliver the most advanced wireless network to customers no matter where they are, or where they're headed.
François Gratton, President of TELUS Québec and Atlantic Canada
This morning we are pleased to confirm, with our partners, that the cellular network is up and running in the Montréal metro. We would like to thank our partners for their continued trust in our role as integrator of the network design and implementation. It is a challenging undertaking to be sure, and a worthwhile one. We expect it will not be long before Montréal commuters make this service an integral part of their day. Over the coming months we will invest to extend this network even further throughout the metro, for the first time bringing robust wireless networks to our customer travelling underground.
Manon Brouillette, President and CEO of Videotron
Videotron, serving Quebecers for 50 years, is pleased to support the development of mobile telephone service in the metro, for the benefit of all users. As this project shows, our goal is to make a difference in our customers' lives. Videotron is committed to delivering the best user experience by keeping customers connected when they want, where they want. This joint initiative demonstrates the telecommunications industry's leadership when it comes to innovation and its enthusiastic support for the Montréal, Smart and Digital City strategy.
