EE has announced it will be joining the trial of 4G mobile signal across the Transport for London (TfL) network.
The company's CEO Marc Allera tweeted that EE would allow customers to access mobile data services between Canning Town and Westminster on the Jubilee Line from March 2020, calling it a "huge step forward" for London.
EE joins rival networks O2 and Vodafone in looking to help boost connectivity for commuters on the Tube, which is currently plagued with not-spots across the capital.
- No sign of 5G on the Underground just yet
- Everything you need to know about 5G in the UK
- TfL confirms first tube 4G trial
Connected
The company added that the trial will also cover connectivity across the ticket halls and corridors within the selected stations, except for London Bridge and Waterloo, which are hoped will be added later during 2020.
TfL first announced plans for a trial earlier this year, with Vodafone confirmed to be among the participants in October, and O2 adding its support last week.
Although a public Wi-Fi network operated by Virgin Media has been available in TfL stations since 2012, mobile coverage has been entirely absent. One of the reasons given for this exclusion was the difficulty in deciding who would build and operate the required infrastructure given the complexities of the operation.
TfL is set to award the contract for building the concession by summer next year, with four infrastructure firms bidding for the rights, while the Home Office’s Emergency Services Network (ESN) will also be powered by the network.
EE has also already added 5G coverage to some stations on the TfL network, with the terminus stations at Waterloo, Liverpool Street and Charing Cross, as well as overground stations at Highbury and Islington, New Cross Gate and Shoreditch High Street all able to access the new high-speed networks.
