Shiny Poll: Mobile signal comes to the London Underground – are you in favour?

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The escalators may not always work – but your mobile phone soon will. Travellers on the London Underground will get mobile phone signal by 2012 thanks to an initiative by Chinese telecoms giant Huawei.

Huawei are putting in a systyem worth £100 million which should be up and running by the time of the 2012 Olympics. They are offering the kit as a gift, running the system along the top of tube tunnels. They would make their money back from maintenance fees. The system would carry calls from all operators though might be restricted to certain tube lines (most likely the Jubilee and the Central) if the operation proves too complicated or expensive.

Previously there was no signal or 3G network on any of the underground trains.

Some commenters fear that the system will give Chinese company and possibly the Chinese government access to the phone calls and text messages of Londoners.
Others reckon that the Chinese government won’t actually be that interested in millions of text messages from people explaining that they are 20 minutes late.

Londoners: are you in favour of this?


Anna Leach

2 comments

  • This is really a great achievement with that they are offering the kit as a gift, running the system along the top of tube tunnels which is really amazing. This system carry calls from various operators.

  • I am respecting of various thoughts and arguments regarding this issue but I think overall it would be a good thing for mobile network development. People are often concerned that their networks hasn't able to catch right signals in that kind places. So Chinese giant telecom firm makes it easy for them.

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