4G is finally coming to the London Underground

The London Underground sometimes feels like the land that mobile signal forgot. 

Locals know the drill. You’re sitting on the Tube waiting for your phone to connect to the patchy-at-best station WiFi so you can hit send on an urgent text before jumping aboard.

But all that could soon become a distant memory. In 2020, the London Underground’s Jubilee line will be graced with 4G phone signal — a first for London Tube lines.

According to Transport for London (TfL), the eastern half of the city’s Jubilee line will get “full mobile connectivity within station platforms and tunnels for the first time from March 2020.” In a statement, the local government’s transport body said this particular section of the tube — which covers platforms and tunnels between Westminster and Canning Town — is one of the “most high-profile mobile not-spots in the UK.” 

The trial section, which will finally allow passengers to check travel information, stream music, catch up on social media and news, and actually respond to emails during their commute, will build on the existing free WiFi service offered within some Underground stations and TfL Rail services. 

Free WiFi is offered in more than 260 Underground stations in London, but signal is patchy in areas between stations. The 4G service will cover ticket halls, corridors within stations, as well as tunnels and platforms. 

It is possible to get 4G and 3G access on some parts of the tube – particularly sections that are above ground — but that coverage is fairly limited and can be quite unreliable. 

Hundreds of miles of cabling have been installed across the Tube network and TfL is liaising with mobile network companies to maximise broader benefits from the rollout. 

After the trial section of the Tube gets that sweet, sweet 4G access, the next stage will see an extension of 4G services across the rest of the transport network. Per TfL, the whole London Underground network should have mobile connectivity “by the mid-2020s.”

Mayor of London Sadiq Khan said the 4G rollout is a “really important step for the millions of people who use the Tube each year.”

“Introducing 4G and, in the future, 5G will help Londoners and visitors keep in touch and get the latest travel information while on the go. London is the best place to live, visit and work — and projects like this will help make it even better,” he said in a statement.

London Bridge and Waterloo stations won’t be included in the trial section, but per TfL, they’ll be added later in 2020 subject to final approvals.