Subway Cell Phone Service? Finally?

Soon you could do this underground! (Flickr user Vitaliy P.

Though the MTA approved a project to wire the city's subway stations so commuters could call and text to their heart's delight (and their neighbors' annoyance) in September of 2007, the Authority just got around to giving Transit Wireless the go-ahead to start last week. Worried that Transit Wireless, which was "formed specifically to respond to the Metropolitan Transit Authority’s Request for... a neutral, shared wireless infrastructure," didn't have solid financing, the MTA said they would have to secure funding or lose the contract. They brought Broadcast Australia on board, and the project is now "starting to move." Wait, what happened to the interns?

Unfortunately, service will mostly be on platforms and other parts of the stations themselves, not in the tunnels. Cell service providers would pay Transit Wireless to carry their signals, and the MTA would get half the revenue. The initial agreement said Transit Wireless was to rig the first batch of stations within two years of getting permission to start, and rig the rest of the 277 underground stations in four years. MTA Chairman Jay Walder pledged quick action, but really, who knows how long this will take?

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By Jaya Saxena in News on July 26, 2010 12:54 PM

Comments [rss]

johnice

as a longtime PA>NY bus commuter i have experienced the slow escalation of cell use on buses and noticed a BLATANT DISREGARD for others private space and witnessed several fights/screaming matches etc. and these were on a bus with only 30>40 people on board!

i am POSITIVE this will result in nothing but trouble!

let silence reign,the train is loud enough!

jpeditor

WORST

IDEA

EVER.

newyorkisghetto

It doesn't really matter to me if they do get signals in the tunnels. But some of these comments are really offensive. If you don't like the puerto rican being ghetto & loud why on God's good green earth would you choose to live on NYC?

Andre

Please god no.

Billiamsburg

Ugggggghhhhhhh. When i lived in Bushwick the worst part of the ride on the JMZ was the above ground Brooklyn half where I get to hear every feisty Puerto Rican scream at how she was gonna 'kill dat bitch' to her homegirl on her celly.

Plus there goes my excuse for why i didn't answer. "uh, oh, I must have been on the train"

rasputinsghost

I'm only okay with this if you can't call people, but it lets texts through.

Sketto

Bad idea. The subway is a refuge. I already hate the 25% of people on the subway who can't manage to use earphones that only they can hear. Add cell phone service and idiots shouting inanities at each other and I'll be going Travis Bickle before we reach Canal Street.

John L

The MTA could have been making money from this years ago. All the cell phones companies showed interest in PAYING the MTA to allow them to wire the system but as usual they been dragging their feet instead of jumping at the opportunity to monetize something that would cost them absolutely nothing. But why try to make money through cell phone companies when you can just raise the fare.

penetrode

so we should expect this sometime in 2022?

disembodied cat head

so people are going to start conversations in the station, only to lose their signal thirty seconds later when the train starts on its way to the next? i can't see any attraction in the ability to hold 30-second conversations underground. just going to lead to a lot of shouting & frustration. like we don't have enough of that on the subway as it is.

Jake

if you know where to be you don't need this wiring of the platform system... for instance if you want 2 to 4 bars stand at 59th st col. circle 2nd to last stairwell on the downtown side of the platform on the B/C side... this doesn't work however on the A/D side of the same stairwell some reason...

ItchyGoiter

This should be data/text only, no voice.

pinball29

Yeah, this should be up and running around the same time as those billion dollar video cameras in the stations, or.... the money will wind up in the same rat-hole.

kazubes

Shame, I actually like being disconnected at least for a time while on the train. Having data access will definitely put a dent in my commute reading, I just cant resist

longacre

Only stations are being wired. Tunnels between stations will continue to be (mostly) dead zones.

Nyctini11

When i discreetly taser your LOUD mouth, don't be surprised.

Mordicai

4 years = at least we'll all be riding in flying cars by the time this annoyance becomes a reality.

Kelles

maybe our brains will evolve and we can just communicate quietly and telepathically? yeah...that's the ticket

Kelles

when obnoxious people start getting their Iphones stolen in the subway, I'm going to cheer

(oh...ok...maybe not. but I'll secretly wish they get it snatched)

Wza

Douche on phone:

YEH! WHAT? OH YEH?! OH WAIT, HOLD UP..I'M HEADING INTO THE TUNNEL!! WAIT! WHAT?!! YEH, I SAID THE TUNNEL! I GET NO SERVICE IN THE TUNNEL!..

..*notices he's already inside the tunnel*

..DUDE, I'M STILL GETTING SERVICE!! SUWEET! SO GO AHEAD FINISH TALKING AND I'LL AGREE LOUDLY!