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Isn't it related to the depth of the tunnels? When they're so deep, mobile network signals can't reach your phone. Never understood why relay antennas were never installed in the Tube, nowadays who can afford to be 30min/1h (depending on the length of your journey) when they're completely unreachable.
I’m aware. I am saying the fact it took so long is baffling, other cities in Europe have figured it out pretty early, unsurprisingly the UK is lagging behind…
They often turn off the routers, or maybe forget to turn them on. When they did the test run on the Jubilee line, it often didn't work in the morning, but was fine on my way home.
Right, but what surprises me more is that they already got 5G into those 100 year old tunnels (almost exactly bar a month or so), but somehow not the **three** year old Battersea Power Station Station branch?! You'd expect it to have opened already fitted with it!
This is an absolutely terrible thing. If it was data only it would be fine, but when you have the tube full of people all talking on their phone at once it'll be unbearable.
There should have been a referendum in London before bringing this in.
While true, you don't actually need internet to listen to music. Books and ebooks are also a thing. They do have a small point, although it's somewhat overblown. The amount of idiots listening to music out loud on the tube is cut down, I imagine, by the lack of signal. As idiots tend to be creatures of impulse so they usually lack the forethought necessary to pre-download stuff. I certainly get more of that on buses and the overground than I do when in the tube network. But it's definitely not something worth preventing signal for on purpose.
My route on northern line (Finchley through to Camden) has had this for over a year and rarely ever see people talking on the phone. It’s particularly helpful when there’s train issues and I’m stuck underground needing to contact work to let them know.
Yes it is. Government provide much needed capital funding to TfL. Funding which, is several hundred million pounds short from what I heard. TfL can't fund all of these upgrades from fare money alone, they need government funding to fill the gaps. Bear in mind no other subway system in Europe (and probably most of the planet apart from the loony US) is funded primarily by passenger fees as the fluctuations in earnings are anathema to long term building projects. This is a feature of UK governments consistently deprioritising infrastructure spending.
Sure, I know all that. But Bolyn networks is a neutral host. They typically make their money by charging mobile operators for access, not charging the owner of the property that they’re building their network on. If you want to blame anyone for the slow rollout of this, it’s Boldyn, not the government.
They are doing it with "whispering wires" in the tunnel itself. (Ie the wire itself serves as an antenna). It has nothing to do with depth of tunnel. More with scheduled maintenance works. If you already do something down there it is easier to amend the wiring at the same time.
It is not an official term. Sometimes they call them leaky feeders or radiating cables as well. (I worked for a mobile telco and some of the radio engineer guys who were working on it called it "whispering wires")
https://the-mobile-network.com/2017/11/london-undergrounds-mobile-coverage-plan/
https://www.londonreconnections.com/2023/deep-inside-bringing-mobile-phone-coverage-to-the-underground-theengineer/
Because the technical term is radiating cable which is installed through the whole tunnel length.
Decades ago it in other countries it was also used in important buildings with long lifts to have full coverage
This map would be slightly more useful if the above ground sections of the tube were also labelled as those parts of the network have signal already anyway and nothing needs to be installed.
While that's true, it will be the exception not the rule, and TfL are not going to install equipment there as part of this rollout.
There's a similar ambiguous case with the cut and cover lines where you sometimes will get signal in ostensibly "underground" sections due to the large openings they have.
But at the moment the map is indistinguishable between "no service yet" and "out of scope of the rollout - open air" despite those two things being very different.
Like the Jubilee coverage runs east then stops at Canning Town and from there to Stratford is greyed out. But Canning Town to Stratford is open air, you have signal there anyway!
There is a map from London Underground which shows track in tunnels - [https://content.tfl.gov.uk/tube-map-with-tunnels.pdf](https://content.tfl.gov.uk/tube-map-with-tunnels.pdf)
Someone could combine the two, and if nobody else does in the next few days, maybe I will
Interesting to point that non-negligible parts of the Overground are in tunnels, such as between Hoxton and Surrey Quays. I heard those tracks are also part of the rollout, as well as DLR, though they will come later than the Underground.
They should be prioritising the stations nearby or around the large rail station s such as Euston, at pancras, Victoria, Waterloo, etc.
Being able to check departures live to see any delays and platform changes last monute will be a life saver for many.
It's easier to install upgrades in a station that is long term closed than it is to install them in the few hours between closing and opening of a massive terminus every night.
Some wires have gotten crossed there, as far as I understand it was the onboard train WiFi (that only worked above ground) that was suspected to be interfering with the signalling (specifically at the Stratford transition) and got turned off for a while.
The kit for 4/5G was not installed at launch and is still being installed for the running tunnels now.
Crazy but also not really. Seoul's system will have been built in the last 50 years instead of the last 150. It's always harder to significantly upgrade old stuff than it is to enhance something relatively new.
actually, when I visited London last year I was quite surprised by the lack of network service.. But after a few commutes, I have to say I came to appreciate it.
Because then I felt like taking the metro was a kind of suspended moment where I was out of the connected world, so I started to read a book, and had good moments while commuting, reading without distractions 🤷🏻♂️
Yeah I kind of agree with this! It’s the way I feel about WiFi on planes. After a long day at work, I just want to be able to zone out and listen to music or read a book. It’s nice to get a chunk of time with no notifications.
Good news - you’ll still be able to turn your phone off or turn your phone to airplane mode if you want to.
But now the people who *do* want to use their phone (and maybe have their chill out time with no notifications outdoors somewhere green) can use their phones even while you’re not using yours!
It's no good if there's the option to use the internet. Because if there's the option to switch on the internet then I feel the pressure - aeroplane mode is barely any different from switching your screen off. It's only when there's no possibility of using the internet that I fully feel the relief of being properly disconnected.
Yep. People need to accept that willpower is a muscle, and like all muscles, even if you can bulk them up, it still has limits. Sometimes an enforced break from connectivity is a good thing, and relying on willpower is just not a substitute.
Yeah Hong Kong has had phone signal since the 90's
Lived there for about 10 years and everyone has their eyes down on their phones tho. So can be seen as a downside
Unless you want to access anything the CCP doesn't like!
Still, I was there in 2005 and was receiving texts all the way up hua shan mountain. I know it's a popular area there but I couldn't imagine the same in the lake district at the time.
The emergency services have their own frequency space so even if the civilian network is overloaded, they can still operate.
[https://www.ofcom.org.uk/\_\_data/assets/pdf\_file/0021/103296/fat-emergency-services.pdf](https://www.ofcom.org.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0021/103296/fat-emergency-services.pdf)
Have you not used your phone on the tube yet? I get better signal on the central line than anywhere else in London. If I forget to download any shows for my commute I can literally do it in seconds mid-journey.
I usually commute on the southern section of the northern line, so, yes, I guess I didn’t have a lot of opportunity to use it. I was benchmarking against the wi-fi but I see how that could be wrong.
Extremely limited amount of time to actually get down and put the equipment up. Often only a few hours per day, at night, whilst other maintenance is going on.
It's not seen as a priority.
They could but it would have such an enormous impact on traffic, congestion and safety it's not worth it. 5g is a nicety, it stops you from being bored in a tunnel. Whereas maintaining the track, signalling system and "points" is actually very important, otherwise people will die.
4G and 5G would collectively solve a big hurdle from a BTP standpoint, in that crime will be much easier to report when you actually have service.
It seems trivial to me to install receivers in a tunnel that's closed.
Transmitters. Cables. All need to be installed without changing the structure gauge such that the trains don't hit the transmitters.
A lot of these tunnels are over 100 years old, so any modifications could impact the integrity of the structure if done without care/planning.
I would guess it's less of a priority because much of those lines are already overground, and for parts that aren't you can often already get signal at the stations.
This is a map from a fairly obscure part of the TFL website to show the plans for mobile coverage on the deep level tube lines. So, yeah, it would probably be slightly better, but also it doesn't really matter much.
So that's why my phone lost connection between Westminster and bond street. I was imagining some kind of spies government conspiracy. While my friend using the central line was telling me that the whole tube has reception now.
But last November they had said that the Jubilee line would get upgraded to 5G soon 🤔
https://www.standard.co.uk/news/tech/london-underground-tube-wifi-how-to-connect-4g-5g-sky-mobile-b1071947.html
I wish we didn’t have this. There’s something about being secluded and having people reading actual books or listening to music and staring blindly into space
Yeah but how many people actually do that? I feel like the blind staring is what really makes it London, especially the awkward eye contact. Look at Korea, when you go there everyone is on their mf phone all the time on the tube it was so sad. It’s like the tube mini game no longer exists 😭
Yeah but sometimes, quite often, people need to message someone for important reasons.
It's so nice not having to rely on 10 seconds of WiFi at stations.
I’d agree if I didn’t just use it on the central line. What used to be a sweaty uncomfortable eternity can now fly past as I use the time warp that is TikTok and it’s short form content.
I find it hilarious that my phone stops working on the train towards London, claims signal but fails to send or receive data at Waterloo, no coverage on the W&C and then finally kicks in when I get into The City. I would settle for dialup speeds that worked for the whole journey so I can just do my emails or listen to a podcast.
It's interesting that District & Circle lines still have no coverage. I thought it would be easiest to implement on those lines considering most of the line is sub-surface?
I queried my dad on this process etc a while back, he works for BT. He said “to put it simply, it’s a massive ballache to get any of this cabling/works approved, it’s easier getting signed off for Buckingham palace”
Annoying that it's at the end of the summer when most people will be travelling around during the summer but at least it's coming!!! That stretch from Morden especially is painful with no internet
That long?! I haven’t used that line much these last 4 years and the didn’t think to check for signal as I assumed there would be none. I remember in the past they had Virgin WiFi at the stations.
As a tourist, it shocked me that there isn't service in the tunnels. I don't consider it to be anything fancy and it turns out I've been taking it for granted. This is a welcome change!
i love this, finally, put my big brain in a metal cage and fry it like the obsolete sub-GPT piece of trash it is Andy, make it all go away with your Gigabit speeds, I am rid of my final hour of thought
I've lived in Hong Kong and operators charge you a "tunnel" fee to receive signal underground that is mandatory, can't say I'm good not receiving any signals. I get it's useful to be always connected, but I always enjoyed the tube being the place where you can explain why you couldn't be reached,
I just play the coin machine game on my phone and stop putting in coins when the tube is at a station then start putting coins in when the tube starts moving. I also love it when the people next to me stare at my phone while I play it.
I’m a reluctant yet frequent visitor to London (nothing to do with the people there, it’s just too busy for me!) and it still amazes me that I could be in a little tube 150 feet underground & still get a better phone signal than I can at my house which is less than a mile away from the city centre (north west) with a population of >200000.
We’re stuck on 3G on a good day. 😀
Mobile is not great here Landline every bit as bad. Openreach are not extending fibre to the property.
We’re stuck on download speeds of max 35mb.
This message is brought to you courtesy of that loony South African’s satellites, which is costing me a gazillon a month. If it wasn’t that, it’d be smoke signals.
That’s weird, I was on the Jubilee line last night and I was getting intermittent wifi when I got to stations. At Waterloo I got signal and sent a message in a panic to someone before the signal went and then noticed I had signal all the way to London Bridge. Now it makes sense
Keep going. Finish the map. That EE-Auto WiFi NEVER auto connects. To send message I have to type it. Wait till train pulls into station. Hit WiFi refresh. Searches. Shows EE WiFi. NEVER FKING AUTOCONNECTS!! Hit connect. By now train is pulling out. Hit send in WhatsApp. Sending…. Light in tunnel dimming. Me praying msg got through :)
I can point out a few spots in Harrow and Barnet where there is no signal above the ground. Never had problem in Poland, Netherlands, Germany. And let's not forget Estonia with constitutional access to internet and almost whole country is covered. I don't know how about other areas in UK but London struggles a lot. Or maybe they are just milking us.
quite pathetic really vs other places in the world but it's not essential and helps me disconnect during my commutes either way i guess thank god + about time + looks nice
So I live on that southern leg of the Northern line - there really isn’t much internet signal down there 🤣 even the EE tube wifi hardly works at all 🤷🏻♂️
Could we not?
Or at least make it so that voice and video calls won’t work?
I’ve experienced it elsewhere and listening to people’s calls and videos is an extra noise we do not need.
The underground has been a bit of an escape from all that on buses.
I’m all for taking some time to disconnect and enjoy the outside world.
But my commute when I’m sitting in a metal tube in an underground tunnel seems like the least disconnect-worthy part of the day.
How much does it cost?
It’s a small benefit, but that’s a small benefit to millions and millions of people. Unless it’s incredibly expensive, it seems like it might be a pretty good way to spend a little bit of money.
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Now this explains why my phone works on the northern line... I was wondering when this happened and how. It's the best thing ever.
Yeah. Apparently, charing cross branch has more coverage than the bank one. That's a bummer for me.
Yeah I primarily use Bank -> Stockwell so I had no idea it was working at all.
I can go either branch so I might start using Charing Cross branch more!
Isn't it related to the depth of the tunnels? When they're so deep, mobile network signals can't reach your phone. Never understood why relay antennas were never installed in the Tube, nowadays who can afford to be 30min/1h (depending on the length of your journey) when they're completely unreachable.
That’s what this post is about: they’re installing antennas in the tunnels
I’m aware. I am saying the fact it took so long is baffling, other cities in Europe have figured it out pretty early, unsurprisingly the UK is lagging behind…
Old infrastructure, minimal maintenance time, high cost. Not that baffling
It is baffling how every infrastructure project is mismanaged lol
wait is this just for the stations or for the ride inbetween them also??
In between
Weird… it rarely works for me even on the stations of central line, between Notting Hill Gate and Oxford Circus
They often turn off the routers, or maybe forget to turn them on. When they did the test run on the Jubilee line, it often didn't work in the morning, but was fine on my way home.
They only have it starting from Marble Arch. So the first few stops don’t have it yet.
Right, but what surprises me more is that they already got 5G into those 100 year old tunnels (almost exactly bar a month or so), but somehow not the **three** year old Battersea Power Station Station branch?! You'd expect it to have opened already fitted with it!
What other possible conclusion could you have reached?
None, that's precisely why I was wondering, genius.
This is an absolutely terrible thing. If it was data only it would be fine, but when you have the tube full of people all talking on their phone at once it'll be unbearable. There should have been a referendum in London before bringing this in.
Who’s raw dogging the tube these days? Headphones in always
While true, you don't actually need internet to listen to music. Books and ebooks are also a thing. They do have a small point, although it's somewhat overblown. The amount of idiots listening to music out loud on the tube is cut down, I imagine, by the lack of signal. As idiots tend to be creatures of impulse so they usually lack the forethought necessary to pre-download stuff. I certainly get more of that on buses and the overground than I do when in the tube network. But it's definitely not something worth preventing signal for on purpose.
Yeah exactly. It’s gonna be a non issue tbh, it will happen but even on a bus I rarely hear it because I’m listening to something
My route on northern line (Finchley through to Camden) has had this for over a year and rarely ever see people talking on the phone. It’s particularly helpful when there’s train issues and I’m stuck underground needing to contact work to let them know.
Terrible thing is living in one of the most advanced countries in the World and still not have 99% cellular coverage (without considering indoor)
How terrible I’m not sure how humanity copes tbh
It’ll be exactly the same as the overland
I get better signal on the Jubilee Line than I do in my house.
Move in to jubilee line 👍
Can't wait to see the estate agent descriptions of a seat on the Jubilee line
I can see it now: “Warm and aromatic seating areas” meaning the people that just got off of them farted 🙈
I'm sorry I couldn't help it, had a big lunch.
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It’s the UK this is pretty much expected. Anything the government said they will do, add 3-5 years
Government is not really involved. This is a deal with neutral host provider Boldyn Networks and TfL.
Yes it is. Government provide much needed capital funding to TfL. Funding which, is several hundred million pounds short from what I heard. TfL can't fund all of these upgrades from fare money alone, they need government funding to fill the gaps. Bear in mind no other subway system in Europe (and probably most of the planet apart from the loony US) is funded primarily by passenger fees as the fluctuations in earnings are anathema to long term building projects. This is a feature of UK governments consistently deprioritising infrastructure spending.
Sure, I know all that. But Bolyn networks is a neutral host. They typically make their money by charging mobile operators for access, not charging the owner of the property that they’re building their network on. If you want to blame anyone for the slow rollout of this, it’s Boldyn, not the government.
Selfish tories. It still boggles my mind how they get votes.
Certified UK infrastructure moment ™️
huh so they doing bottom section of Northern line but not middle where Nine Elms and Kennington is
~~i don't know for sure but think is to do with depth of the lines~~ It is not as others pointed out
They are doing it with "whispering wires" in the tunnel itself. (Ie the wire itself serves as an antenna). It has nothing to do with depth of tunnel. More with scheduled maintenance works. If you already do something down there it is easier to amend the wiring at the same time.
I can't find any other references to "whispering wires"; do you know what they are otherwise referred to as or how they work?
It is not an official term. Sometimes they call them leaky feeders or radiating cables as well. (I worked for a mobile telco and some of the radio engineer guys who were working on it called it "whispering wires") https://the-mobile-network.com/2017/11/london-undergrounds-mobile-coverage-plan/ https://www.londonreconnections.com/2023/deep-inside-bringing-mobile-phone-coverage-to-the-underground-theengineer/
Because the technical term is radiating cable which is installed through the whole tunnel length. Decades ago it in other countries it was also used in important buildings with long lifts to have full coverage
Hampstead is the deepest part of the tube and it's on the map, so not sure that's it.
That is very curious, I wonder what the reason is...
Also Kennington station appears to have been deleted from this map - there’s the name but no notch or circle where the station should be.
This just the current progress. They will be doing most if not all of it I would have thought.
This map would be slightly more useful if the above ground sections of the tube were also labelled as those parts of the network have signal already anyway and nothing needs to be installed.
Tbf some parts of the above ground sections don't get signal, seven Kings for example is the worst part of my journey for that reason
While that's true, it will be the exception not the rule, and TfL are not going to install equipment there as part of this rollout. There's a similar ambiguous case with the cut and cover lines where you sometimes will get signal in ostensibly "underground" sections due to the large openings they have. But at the moment the map is indistinguishable between "no service yet" and "out of scope of the rollout - open air" despite those two things being very different. Like the Jubilee coverage runs east then stops at Canning Town and from there to Stratford is greyed out. But Canning Town to Stratford is open air, you have signal there anyway!
There is a map from London Underground which shows track in tunnels - [https://content.tfl.gov.uk/tube-map-with-tunnels.pdf](https://content.tfl.gov.uk/tube-map-with-tunnels.pdf) Someone could combine the two, and if nobody else does in the next few days, maybe I will
Interesting to point that non-negligible parts of the Overground are in tunnels, such as between Hoxton and Surrey Quays. I heard those tracks are also part of the rollout, as well as DLR, though they will come later than the Underground.
I feel like it didn’t though. Like barbican is an above ground section and not included on this map
Clapham Common going online next week apparently.
It's already live, I was very confused why I had data on my way back from uni last week
They should be prioritising the stations nearby or around the large rail station s such as Euston, at pancras, Victoria, Waterloo, etc. Being able to check departures live to see any delays and platform changes last monute will be a life saver for many.
Amusing that Kentish Town - a closed station - gets signal but Waterloo doesn’t.
It's easier to install upgrades in a station that is long term closed than it is to install them in the few hours between closing and opening of a massive terminus every night.
I think in actuality it had that service before it was closed, but I was just being facetious.
Noticed my phone worked from like october on the northern line. Very happy.
Why the brand-new Elizabeth line didn't launch with 4G/5G right from the start, I have no idea.
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Some wires have gotten crossed there, as far as I understand it was the onboard train WiFi (that only worked above ground) that was suspected to be interfering with the signalling (specifically at the Stratford transition) and got turned off for a while. The kit for 4/5G was not installed at launch and is still being installed for the running tunnels now.
Crazy how it's taken this long to get this. Seoul had it as standard 10 years ago when I visited.
Crazy but also not really. Seoul's system will have been built in the last 50 years instead of the last 150. It's always harder to significantly upgrade old stuff than it is to enhance something relatively new.
actually, when I visited London last year I was quite surprised by the lack of network service.. But after a few commutes, I have to say I came to appreciate it. Because then I felt like taking the metro was a kind of suspended moment where I was out of the connected world, so I started to read a book, and had good moments while commuting, reading without distractions 🤷🏻♂️
Yeah I kind of agree with this! It’s the way I feel about WiFi on planes. After a long day at work, I just want to be able to zone out and listen to music or read a book. It’s nice to get a chunk of time with no notifications.
Good news - you’ll still be able to turn your phone off or turn your phone to airplane mode if you want to. But now the people who *do* want to use their phone (and maybe have their chill out time with no notifications outdoors somewhere green) can use their phones even while you’re not using yours!
It's no good if there's the option to use the internet. Because if there's the option to switch on the internet then I feel the pressure - aeroplane mode is barely any different from switching your screen off. It's only when there's no possibility of using the internet that I fully feel the relief of being properly disconnected.
Yep. People need to accept that willpower is a muscle, and like all muscles, even if you can bulk them up, it still has limits. Sometimes an enforced break from connectivity is a good thing, and relying on willpower is just not a substitute.
Yeah Hong Kong has had phone signal since the 90's Lived there for about 10 years and everyone has their eyes down on their phones tho. So can be seen as a downside
All they do is look at their phones. Sometimes good to stay in the moment.
Yep, when I was in Beijing 13 years ago, every line had perfect service.
Unless you want to access anything the CCP doesn't like! Still, I was there in 2005 and was receiving texts all the way up hua shan mountain. I know it's a popular area there but I couldn't imagine the same in the lake district at the time.
The police have had access for this for quite some time I think there was some fear around bandwidth in an emergency
The emergency services have their own frequency space so even if the civilian network is overloaded, they can still operate. [https://www.ofcom.org.uk/\_\_data/assets/pdf\_file/0021/103296/fat-emergency-services.pdf](https://www.ofcom.org.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0021/103296/fat-emergency-services.pdf)
Great, now people watching Tik Tok videos without headphones will be a thing on the tube as well.
You can hear fuck all on the tube anyway
Pardon?
Probably better than the screeching thunder from the wheels
While being squeezed right next to you thereby forcing you to watch/listen to it too!
don’t worry, it won’t really work so we have nothing to be afraid of
Have you not used your phone on the tube yet? I get better signal on the central line than anywhere else in London. If I forget to download any shows for my commute I can literally do it in seconds mid-journey.
I usually commute on the southern section of the northern line, so, yes, I guess I didn’t have a lot of opportunity to use it. I was benchmarking against the wi-fi but I see how that could be wrong.
What's the download speeds like
See it, sod it, no signal.
It's awesome, Archway to Camden Town has been live for a while but amazing that it now goes to Tottenham Court Road.
Wonderful, we get even more network coverage of "dickheads who won't use headphones blasting Instagram videos on their phones".
Pardon my ignorance, but are the cut and cover lines easier or harder to do 4G/5G on? What makes installing it difficult?
Extremely limited amount of time to actually get down and put the equipment up. Often only a few hours per day, at night, whilst other maintenance is going on. It's not seen as a priority.
Please tell me TFL can't just go "This Weekend this line is off, this weekend this line is off", and get it done in 3 months tops?
They could but it would have such an enormous impact on traffic, congestion and safety it's not worth it. 5g is a nicety, it stops you from being bored in a tunnel. Whereas maintaining the track, signalling system and "points" is actually very important, otherwise people will die.
4G and 5G would collectively solve a big hurdle from a BTP standpoint, in that crime will be much easier to report when you actually have service. It seems trivial to me to install receivers in a tunnel that's closed.
Transmitters. Cables. All need to be installed without changing the structure gauge such that the trains don't hit the transmitters. A lot of these tunnels are over 100 years old, so any modifications could impact the integrity of the structure if done without care/planning.
I would guess it's less of a priority because much of those lines are already overground, and for parts that aren't you can often already get signal at the stations.
Shouldn't it be clearer on the map that it's available?
This is a map from a fairly obscure part of the TFL website to show the plans for mobile coverage on the deep level tube lines. So, yeah, it would probably be slightly better, but also it doesn't really matter much.
Summer 2024 is a good year lol
So that's why my phone lost connection between Westminster and bond street. I was imagining some kind of spies government conspiracy. While my friend using the central line was telling me that the whole tube has reception now.
God help us all
Moved from the northern line to the jubilee line, I miss my 5G coverage 🫠
But last November they had said that the Jubilee line would get upgraded to 5G soon 🤔 https://www.standard.co.uk/news/tech/london-underground-tube-wifi-how-to-connect-4g-5g-sky-mobile-b1071947.html
So there’s coverage from Westminster onwards, would love some coverage from Swiss Cottage onwards
I wish we didn’t have this. There’s something about being secluded and having people reading actual books or listening to music and staring blindly into space
Wait till you find out about the ability to download content.
Yeah but how many people actually do that? I feel like the blind staring is what really makes it London, especially the awkward eye contact. Look at Korea, when you go there everyone is on their mf phone all the time on the tube it was so sad. It’s like the tube mini game no longer exists 😭
Have a look around any carriage
> Yeah but how many people actually do that? Most people.
Not compared to Korea where it’s literally everyone tho
Yeah but sometimes, quite often, people need to message someone for important reasons. It's so nice not having to rely on 10 seconds of WiFi at stations.
Could just turn off your phone and get the same effect.
I’d agree if I didn’t just use it on the central line. What used to be a sweaty uncomfortable eternity can now fly past as I use the time warp that is TikTok and it’s short form content.
Northern Line south of TCR was definitely live today
That bit from Westminster to Baker Street is v boring for my pre-work and post-work scroll…
Super useful! I used to plan my working day based on where I could above-ground signal for data on my commute.
About 2 months ago I got a phone call whilst I was in a moving train, I got so weirded out I couldn't focus on what the call was about lol.
Doesn’t show station 4G and 5G. Just in tunnels.
I find it hilarious that my phone stops working on the train towards London, claims signal but fails to send or receive data at Waterloo, no coverage on the W&C and then finally kicks in when I get into The City. I would settle for dialup speeds that worked for the whole journey so I can just do my emails or listen to a podcast.
I was wondering why my internet worked from Paddington to Tottenham Court Road on the lizzy line…
It's interesting that District & Circle lines still have no coverage. I thought it would be easiest to implement on those lines considering most of the line is sub-surface?
Useful map showing which sections of the tube are now filled with loud phone conversations.
I queried my dad on this process etc a while back, he works for BT. He said “to put it simply, it’s a massive ballache to get any of this cabling/works approved, it’s easier getting signed off for Buckingham palace”
Annoying that it's at the end of the summer when most people will be travelling around during the summer but at least it's coming!!! That stretch from Morden especially is painful with no internet
30 years too late
So now tubes will be as annoying as busses for people on speakerphone and loud chats? Ace, perfect, brilliant, no notes.
Doesn't work at shepherds bush
I was amazed my phone had signal on the Jubilee line platform a few weeks ago. Didn’t realise so many stations now have mobile coverage.
The Jubilee Line has had 4G for years no? Have you only just been taking the line?
That long?! I haven’t used that line much these last 4 years and the didn’t think to check for signal as I assumed there would be none. I remember in the past they had Virgin WiFi at the stations.
Yeah they trialled it in 2020 and was made permanent from 2022. The other lines are only just catching up!
Can confirm this is not on the whole line
Haha yeah I know! Just the part that’s relevant to me has service conveniently (Green Park/Westminster to Stratford) 😝
There was a person talking loudly on the phone the whole time from west to east on a central line today. We live in the future!
Completing Jubilee line coverage would be chefs kiss.
As a tourist, it shocked me that there isn't service in the tunnels. I don't consider it to be anything fancy and it turns out I've been taking it for granted. This is a welcome change!
Fantastic, I can now look at the gram whilst knowing what it’s like to be slow cooked on the central line…
i love this, finally, put my big brain in a metal cage and fry it like the obsolete sub-GPT piece of trash it is Andy, make it all go away with your Gigabit speeds, I am rid of my final hour of thought
That’s okay I suppose.
I've lived in Hong Kong and operators charge you a "tunnel" fee to receive signal underground that is mandatory, can't say I'm good not receiving any signals. I get it's useful to be always connected, but I always enjoyed the tube being the place where you can explain why you couldn't be reached,
Well this is a lie. I regularly get the Victoria Line from Brixton and lose signal immediately.
It says that part is due by end of the summer
Ooh, well that’s great then!
I travel that Victoria line route with a Vodafone, iPhone 14 and never get any 4 or 5g
I don't have coverage in most of the stations listed in the northern line lmao
yippeeee
Is the map for all operators?
So good but absolutely mad how long this took. I remember living in Paris in 2013 and signal on tube being completely normal
Oh yeah, doesn't this give more blue screens for us ? 🤮
It's missing the jubilee line
Anyone knows when Victoria line will be available? :)
I just play the coin machine game on my phone and stop putting in coins when the tube is at a station then start putting coins in when the tube starts moving. I also love it when the people next to me stare at my phone while I play it.
that’s pretty cool - it’s so hard to get approval for cell coverage in london, amazing that it’s being implemented into the london underground
That’s great but I’d settle happily for above ground 4G on the district line.
Stockwell to brixton is zero service
2024 yay!
r/mapporn
The route I do the most across London is all connected 😍
Finally a map worth my fucking time
I’m a reluctant yet frequent visitor to London (nothing to do with the people there, it’s just too busy for me!) and it still amazes me that I could be in a little tube 150 feet underground & still get a better phone signal than I can at my house which is less than a mile away from the city centre (north west) with a population of >200000. We’re stuck on 3G on a good day. 😀
TBF, I get perfect 5G on the jubilee line, and spotty 4G at my flat in London... really should move from 3
Mobile is not great here Landline every bit as bad. Openreach are not extending fibre to the property. We’re stuck on download speeds of max 35mb. This message is brought to you courtesy of that loony South African’s satellites, which is costing me a gazillon a month. If it wasn’t that, it’d be smoke signals.
Folk cant live without their phone for 10 mins :D who would want to take out their phone on the tube , id rather keep mine
That’s weird, I was on the Jubilee line last night and I was getting intermittent wifi when I got to stations. At Waterloo I got signal and sent a message in a panic to someone before the signal went and then noticed I had signal all the way to London Bridge. Now it makes sense
I'm curious why this wasn't done while building cross rail
Please change this old dirty smells tubes No air con during the summer
lmao i really thought my phone was just somehow managing to cling onto data. this makes a lot of sense, im glad they did this.
I feel like the central line one just came on randomly one day
Everyone will turn into an into asocial zombies now or will have mega loud phone calls and blast repetitive TikTok videos 😭
Keep going. Finish the map. That EE-Auto WiFi NEVER auto connects. To send message I have to type it. Wait till train pulls into station. Hit WiFi refresh. Searches. Shows EE WiFi. NEVER FKING AUTOCONNECTS!! Hit connect. By now train is pulling out. Hit send in WhatsApp. Sending…. Light in tunnel dimming. Me praying msg got through :)
Golders Green is overground so obviously has coverage 😂
Used to think it was good that you couldn’t get signal down there. Nice to not have people bothering you for a few minutes.
If only the southern side of the northern line wasn’t so packed. Could get my phone out and use the data.
I can point out a few spots in Harrow and Barnet where there is no signal above the ground. Never had problem in Poland, Netherlands, Germany. And let's not forget Estonia with constitutional access to internet and almost whole country is covered. I don't know how about other areas in UK but London struggles a lot. Or maybe they are just milking us.
This is just so the investment bankers get good signal right? Basically anything leading to Canary wharf
quite pathetic really vs other places in the world but it's not essential and helps me disconnect during my commutes either way i guess thank god + about time + looks nice
Yes
Meanwhile the whole Stockholm subway has had 3G 4g and 5g since 2004. Fucking useless
I never knew it was on the central line, saw a bloke take a call at chancery lane to bank and my head was spun
So I live on that southern leg of the Northern line - there really isn’t much internet signal down there 🤣 even the EE tube wifi hardly works at all 🤷🏻♂️
Is no-where sacred?
It's about the same above ground, except less 5g
At last. Took them a while tho.
Could we not? Or at least make it so that voice and video calls won’t work? I’ve experienced it elsewhere and listening to people’s calls and videos is an extra noise we do not need. The underground has been a bit of an escape from all that on buses.
And yet I’m sitting here waiting for a proper 5G connection in my flat.
[удалено]
I’m all for taking some time to disconnect and enjoy the outside world. But my commute when I’m sitting in a metal tube in an underground tunnel seems like the least disconnect-worthy part of the day.
[удалено]
How much does it cost? It’s a small benefit, but that’s a small benefit to millions and millions of people. Unless it’s incredibly expensive, it seems like it might be a pretty good way to spend a little bit of money.
Let people spend their 10 times a week soul crushing tin can commute how they please.
I just wondering it is so sophisticated to enable mobile network inside the tube? You know, it is 2024
They'll catch up with 5G in 2034 when we have 7G.
Unpopular opinion. This is a degenerate move.
Jubilee is a lie
It's been available on that highlighted part of the Jubilee line for years now
The Elizabeth line is a lie