New York's subway stations to be wired for cellphones

After holding out for years, MTA has finally caved to the public's demand for cellphones in New York subways. New York City Transit has announced a deal with Transit Wireless, who's forking out $46.8 million over 10 years for the privilege of installing service in the 277 underground stations currently lacking coverage. Cell phone providers will have to pay Transit Wireless for their customers to be able to roam onto the subway network, but it's hard to feel sorry for them: a consortium of major providers, including Verizon and Sprint offered up a mere $40 (not a typo) to install similar coverage. The good news for subway passengers loathe to have the privacy of their commute interrupted by rude cellphone talkers is that coverage won't be extended to train tunnels, only the stations, meaning passengers will have to take care of business before they get on the train. Proponents cite the need for passengers to be able to text message and call out of stations in the case of emergencies, but we're just glad to finally step into a station without going through internet withdrawls. The first six stations should have coverage in two years, and once proven the system will expand to the rest of the stations in the following four years.

[Via textually.org]

[former WCLer @ Sep 20th 2007 1:02PM]

Verizon has had coverage in DC's Metro system for years.

[phi @ Sep 20th 2007 1:27PM]

I wish DC's WMATA would include GSM coverage in the metro system

[Preston @ Sep 20th 2007 1:45PM]

Verizon's coverage in the Metro tunnels is horrible. I always get dropped calls while riding.

[DingDong @ Sep 20th 2007 1:10PM]

This is great news, esp when you have to transfer 3 times to get somewhere and get get squat done the entire time.

[Homer J @ Sep 20th 2007 3:31PM]

I would settle for no voice, for the same reasons (gabbing) cell phones should never be alowed on planes. But data would make me very happy.

[deniz @ Sep 20th 2007 1:11PM]

yes and we have had this for i dont know how long in istanbul (including the tunnels) and im sure there are many other cities that do have.

im suprised that new york is just getting it.

[Nestor C. @ Sep 20th 2007 7:54PM]

Add Santiago (Chile) to that: the 3 GSM carriers have EDGE coverage, one of them still uses CDMA and has full coverage too.

[Aaron @ Sep 20th 2007 1:13PM]

This is a step in the right direction, but for mass transit to truly be appealing, straphangers should get the same grade of coverage that motorists get. Why spend all of this money and not go the whole way?

I don't really want to listen to my fellow riders yelling into their phones, but I'd at least like to have data and SMS service with which to pass the time while underground. Perhaps there could just be stiff fines for people who take and place phone calls in the train, or designated cars for yappers.

[DingDong @ Sep 20th 2007 1:15PM]

Riding the subway is already an 11 on the annoying meter, it's not like cell phones are going to make it worse.

[Adam @ Sep 20th 2007 7:53PM]

Hey Ding Dong,

I don't know what you're whining about. The Subway may be annoying to you, but for those who ride it to get from point A to point B, it's rather efficient.

It takes me 10 minutes to travel by subway from Penn station to Grand Central whereas by Taxi it’s anywhere between 20 to 25 minutes.

[AdamIsADouche @ Sep 20th 2007 9:27PM]

Adam, you self righteous prick, get off your high horse. Douche.

[Adam @ Sep 21st 2007 1:04AM]

I'd rather not stoop to your level.

[dcdeadbeat @ Sep 20th 2007 1:17PM]

I am posting this from a laptop while in a DC Metro tunnel :)

Score another point for living in D.C. versus New York City

[wolf @ Sep 20th 2007 3:32PM]

"another," or "one?"

that place is one multi-structure museum. and as a wise man once said, "good things don't end in 'eum.'"

[sr @ Sep 20th 2007 1:18PM]

Ok fine. We are behind as all hell as it stands, and now they say 2 years for 6 stations and 10 years for all of them? WTF? I repeat: WTF?

[riggs @ Sep 20th 2007 1:18PM]

the reason why new york is getting it now is because in the past, new yorkers on cellphones are fucking annoying (not that that has changed) but i guess they caved due to the many people having cellphones now

[Alex @ Sep 20th 2007 1:19PM]

Yeah, it would be smart to wire the whole system, but it's also A LOT of miles of coax. Keep in mind that with the local and express trains, you'll probably get pretty good coverage for the most part between stations.

a fine for people using their phones while on the train is just as effective as the whole you can't move between cars of the train while it is in motion. In fact, most of the car doors are now locked on some lines, so if there is an emergency, it's now harder to leave the car. You bet i'd like to call 911 and wait on hold for 5 minutes to bitch about some emergency while in transit.

[Karl L. Gechlik @ Sep 20th 2007 1:21PM]

I love my quite time on the train in the morning. This sucks big time! I always download my rss feeds/emails before I go underground and I have enough to do for the hour.

C'mon guys lets re-think this a little. Are you really ready to listen to that 13 year old girls conversation while being stuck in a big metal box?

Thats just this bloggers opinion!

[Kate @ Sep 20th 2007 1:31PM]

I'm with you! The last thing I want is to hear all of the annoying conversations I do above ground when I'm trapped in a small car for an hour each morning.

[Heath Stahl @ Sep 20th 2007 1:54PM]

Your time on the train won't change. Its only the stations getting coverage - not the tunnels themselves.

[T H @ Sep 20th 2007 1:24PM]

You guys may have service on the train in DC.. but you live in DC. Not NYC. 'Nuff said.

[Will Collins @ Sep 20th 2007 1:33PM]

Exactly. DC = civilized society, New York = behind the times. :)

[Jacob Jones @ Sep 20th 2007 1:26PM]

Yeah, we've had this available in Chicago for the last year or so, kinda annoying. I guess if I used it with a data plan I could do work on the way to work, but that'd be crazy.

[hp540 @ Sep 20th 2007 1:33PM]

In Hong Kong super amazing MTR, we've had cell phone coverage in stations and tunnels for a long time. I don't think there's anywhere in hong kong that doesn't have cell coverage anymore.

[Dr Buzz0 @ Sep 20th 2007 1:40PM]

My experience is that you can usually actually get decent reception in stations. It generally works on single level stations and especially if you are semi-close to the entrance. Of course, the multi-level stations like Times Square are a different story, as the lower levels and longer passages won't have enough of a reflected signal.

But the real issue is on the trains themselves. Unless you're on one of the elevated sections, such as in Brooklyn or the Bronx, you get no reception at all. I would LOVE for them to have it installed in the tunnels. I guess yacking on the phone in the subway could make it even more irritating to sit by some people, but I wish I could surf the net and use slingplayer mobile.

I suppose that would require a lot more transmitters, located at each bend and turn in the tunnel. Or perhaps they could put them on the trains themselves... of course, then they'd need some sort of relay system to transmit from the trains to the network. I believe they already have systems to communicate with the motorman on the trains and monitor the speed and location and such. Perhaps it could be extended to allow for cell phone traffic...

[Rafael @ Sep 20th 2007 1:47PM]

We've had coverage in the Metro in Rio(de Janeiro) for years now! Now, granted we have 1/10th the number of stops as the NY Subway system, but it's not like people really annoy you that much, and it's not like you're not already listening to headphones, cause the sound of the train drives you insane... Every once in a while, you even get a really important call, and it's nice you didn't miss it.

[ray @ Sep 20th 2007 2:09PM]

Paris' extensive metro network (including all tunnels- not just stations) is 100% covered by 3G/2.5G
I'm pretty surprised ny is only getting this now, and even more so that it will take 2 whole years to kit out only 6 stations.

[Dennis @ Sep 20th 2007 2:09PM]

hmmm, they were gonna do this in london until the spanish train bombings, whose bombs were activated by mobile phones. but i guess the 7/7 bombings kind of proved that to be irrelevant

[CharlieX @ Sep 20th 2007 2:20PM]

I certainly hope my friends in NY don't try and call me from the booming caverns of the subway.... conversations on the street are an affair of blaring horns, construction, and general mayhem making it difficult to understand anything they're saying.

[Forbury Lion @ Sep 20th 2007 3:23PM]

This should make it easier for a terrorist to remote detonate a bomb.

[Yankees368 @ Sep 20th 2007 3:49PM]

This is a terrible move by the MTA. They should have accepted the offer from Verizon/Sprint years ago for service only in the tunnels. There is no way that it will take this long to install coverage in all of the stations that need it. Throw an antenna up above ground, then a repeater below ground in the station. How long would this take, a day for each station?

It also would have been better if one or more of the big 5 providers did it themself, instead of some other company that will require roaming. Who knows what they will charge the carriers for roaming down there.

[joule @ Sep 20th 2007 3:51PM]

We had this in Buenos Aires for years now. Talk about third world. Also, you don't see a lot of people chatting on the sub, and EVERYONE has cellphones here.

[3rdsun @ Sep 20th 2007 6:21PM]

boy is America behind times. If my country had a subway we would have had this installed long ago but I still get coverage in my local Subway.

[Bliss @ Sep 20th 2007 4:23PM]

No "cell in the subway" problem here in Boise. Just the blasted "cell in the stagecoach" issue.

[Frankenstein Black @ Sep 20th 2007 4:26PM]

CDMA or GSM??

[Frankenstein Black @ Sep 20th 2007 4:27PM]

GSM or CDMA?

[Yankees368 @ Sep 20th 2007 4:43PM]

iDen?

[adam @ Sep 20th 2007 7:58PM]

TETRA?

[bBog @ Sep 20th 2007 8:01PM]

Two cans and a string?

[Steve @ Sep 20th 2007 8:12PM]

To think that there are 7 million riders per day, who spend roughly $4 per day to travel on the system you really begin to wonder where the money goes. I'm still perplexed why our subways aren't made of solid gold.

[Brian @ Sep 20th 2007 8:36PM]

FINally

[Bog @ Sep 21st 2007 1:03AM]

Two cans and a string?

[gtsaigt @ Sep 21st 2007 1:23AM]

I would rather they upgrade train service so it will be on time....like Hong Kong train...

[wetworker @ Sep 21st 2007 3:17AM]

I hope that doesn’t come to Toronto, the subway is only sacred place left you get a nice ride without hearing other people bullshit conversations. sure people talk but for some reason people on phones are just loud.

[Martin @ Sep 21st 2007 3:42AM]

Yeah, we've had them both in Stockholm and Copenhagen for years (including the actual tunnels). Although there was talk in Stockholm of making cellphone usage restricted to just one subway cart per train.

[paccoast2010 @ Sep 21st 2007 7:48AM]

What's the problem? Use your iPhone to listen to tunes and tune out others, or dial up someone and add to the 'annoying' conversations.

[Felix @ Sep 21st 2007 1:14PM]

We have had 3G coverage in the whole Berlin subway system for many years now. Reception is actually sometimes better in the trains than outside a station ;). It really doesn't bother people too much. You don't want to talk very often anyways, when you have the noise of the fast moving trains in the background...

I am kind of surprised NY is so behind the times here!

[Richard @ Sep 23rd 2007 6:16PM]

Wow!

Talk about "Can you hear me now?"

It's way too loud town there - IMHO - to have a decent conversation...even with a Jawbone.