Boldyn Networks has announced that four central London stations have received mobile coverage for the first time - namely Bond Street, Tottenham Court Road, Farringdon and Liverpool Street - in the ticket halls, connecting corridors and platforms for the Elizabeth line. The introduction at Tottenham Court Road also means that the whole station now has mobile coverage, with work to expand coverage to the Central line, and then onto the Jubilee line at Bond Street taking place throughout 2024.
All four mobile network operators in the UK - Three UK, EE, Vodafone, and Virgin Media O2 - are taking part in the rollout, which has already delivered 4G on sections of the Jubilee, Northern and Central lines.
TfL and Boldyn Networks will be working throughout Christmas and the early New Year to expand the coverage to further stations on the Elizabeth line, as well as to the tunnelled sections. By the end of spring 2024, the whole of the 73 miles of the Elizabeth line from Reading and Heathrow to Shenfield and Abbey Wood via the West End, will have mobile coverage.
Around 500 people are working overnight across the Tube network to install mobile equipment, with all works needed to be tidied away before the network opens for customers every morning. Once fully delivered, more than 2,000 kilometres of cabling as well as thousands of radios are expected to be installed within tunnels and stations, all of which will be fitted outside of operational hours.
Sadiq Khan, Mayor, London
I am delighted to see the promise I made of delivering 4G and 5G across our transport network continuing to progress, with four busy Elizabeth line stations – Bond Street, Tottenham Court Road, Farringdon and Liverpool Street joining an ever-growing network of lines and stations with full connectivity.
Andy Lord, Transport Commissioner, London
I’m delighted that the first stations on the Elizabeth line now have high-quality mobile coverage. This is a vital project for London, allowing customers to be more connected underground and get the latest travel information and news, as well as stay in contact with work, friends and families while travelling on our network. Our engineers will be working closely with Boldyn Networks over Christmas and throughout 2024 to expand coverage to more stations and tunnels across London, and we remain committed to having a significant proportion of the entire Tube network connected by the end of 2024.
Billy D’Arcy, CEO of UK & Ireland, Boldyn Networks
Our work with TfL across the transport network has rapidly accelerated this year and we are excited to announce this further expansion of high-speed mobile connectivity ahead of the festive period. This is another important milestone in our mission to deploy a new digital infrastructure across London that connects businesses and people, and helps to make the city a safer and smarter place to live, work and travel.
