Mobiles go underground in Glasgow

Passengers on Glasgow's subway will soon be able to use make phone calls and surf the internet while underground, thanks to a new combined wi-fi and cellular network.

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The network is being deployed across the city's 15 subway stations, which will enable passengers to use their mobile phones and access the internet while underground. It will also provide access to public wi-fi services.

The comms infrastructure is being built by Arqiva, which won the contract from Strathclyde Partnership for Transport (SPT), the owner-operator of the Glasgow subway.

Work to deploy the network will begin later this month, with initial testing at Buchanan Street subway station - one of the city's busiest stations.

SPT is undertaking a programme of modernisation on the subway and said improving accessibility and connectivity for its passengers is a core part of this process. It added that in future it may migrate existing applications and services onto the wi-fi network, such as ticketing and CCTV.

Transport for London is due to start underground connectivity trials this year with a project to put mobile coverage on the Waterloo and City line between Bank and Waterloo stations, including on platforms and in the tunnels. If the pilot is successful coverage is likely to be rolled out to other Tube lines and extended to include DAB digital radio and wi-fi coverage.