As Londoners look to begin travelling across the busy city as “usual”, Mayor, Sadiq Kahn, announced that full internet access will be available across London’s Tube stations by the end of 2024. Oxford Street and Euston are amongst the stations to go live before the end of next year. 

This will be even more reason for people to use their phones, as internet access becomes available on the underground. London is one of the busiest cities in the world, and has been crying out for coverage  for a number of years – especially as other countries have had coverage for a long time. Khan did confirm that the service is already “up and running” on the eastern half of the Jubilee Line.

Director of Strategy and Chief Technology Officer at Transport For London, Shashi Verma, said he was “absolutely thrilled” at the news of 4G coming to London Underground: “Absolutely thrilled that we will be getting mobile telephony on the London Underground. I signed a concession agreement with BAI Communications yesterday to deliver 4G mobile communications, a high density fibre network, and also to support the national Emergency Services Network radio system.

This has been a long journey to find a solution that works in the very challenging environment of 19th century Tube tunnels but we will now be bringing the best of the 21st century into our services.”

This is a big step for London, and with mobile connectivity soon to be available on all underground stations, this is certainly going to help people stay connected more easily. For those who like a digital detox every now again, this probably won’t be a sense of escape. But don’t worry – if you’re ever caught up on the tube and late for an interview, you can now let your interviewer know, wherever you are.