Mobile cellular network service is about to enter the New York subway tunnel. This week, the Metropolitan Transit Authority announced it will launch a 10-year project to lay wireless connectivity for all 418 miles of underground track in the city. As part of an ongoing public-private partnership between the two organizations, Transit Wireless will build the necessary infrastructure and pay the resulting $600 million bill.
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Transit Wireless operates the MTA’s (Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s) existing underground WiFi network. It is also a subsidiary of BAI Communications, which has completed similar projects in Toronto, Canada, Hong Kong, and other parts of the world. The agreement will also allow Transit Wireless to provide WiFi to all of the MTA’s 191 overground stations and 21 Staten Island train stations. The good news is that for New York users and visitors, work on the project will not cause additional subway service disruptions.
Transit Wireless plans to pay for the project through data collection and by leasing fiber-optic cables to carriers, The New York Times reported. Once the initial investment is recovered, the company will begin sharing the harvest with the MTA. Initially, the MTA agency can expect a 20 percent cut, which then increases to 40 percent in the 15th year after Transit Wireless gets its money back.
The MTA isn’t the only transit agency offering cellular service to its passengers. Last year, Transport for London said the subway would have full mobile network access by 2024. Other cities such as Seoul, South Korea, and Paris, France have deployed similar systems over the years.
