The entirety of the Tube network is set to have internet connectivity by the end of the year.
Transport for London (TfL) has announced that it is aiming for mobile coverage to be introduced at every Underground station by the end of 2026.
This comes as it says around 60 per cent of stations that are underground on the network now have 4G and 5G signal.
Coverage has been introduced in recent weeks in the tunnelled sections on the Bakerloo line between Queen’s Park and Edgware Road.
The Metropolitan line between Euston Square and King’s Cross St Pancras has also recently gained signal, as well as between Barbican and Moorgate stations.
Coverage has been extended between Cannon Street and Monument, Sloane Square and Victoria, and Bayswater and Paddington on the Circle and District lines.
As well as tunnelled sections of the network, busy stations such as Vauxhall, Temple, Nine Elms and Gloucester Road have also now gone live.
Major stations like King’s Cross St Pancras, Victoria and Paddington will gain mobile coverage in phases due to their size and complexity, with a focus first on ticket halls and platforms.
TfL says the vast majority of the Northern, Bakerloo and Metropolitan lines will have coverage in the tunnels by the end of summer this year.
The four major mobile network operators, Three, EE, Vodafone and Virgin Media O2, have all taken part in the rollout along with Boldyn Network, which serves as a neutral host for providers.
Having signal on the Tube means that passengers can stay connected as they travel, as well as have access to real-time service updates.
The expanding coverage will also host the new Emergency Services Network (ESN). When fully operational, the ESN will be able to give first responders immediate access to data, images and information in live situations and emergencies.
The rollout comes a week after industry regulator Ofcom called for train networks across the country to offer better connectivity after it found mobile performance was poor on between 58 per cent and 83 per cent of tests carried out on trains.
Ofcom measured mobile performance across 24 segments of key railway lines in England, Scotland and Wales, studying how often a phone could perform well while making video calls, streaming content or scrolling social media.
One of the lowest-scoring routes was Basingstoke to Coventry (via Reading and Oxford), with all four major network providers showing very low performance on the journey.
Read more: Connectivity is so bad that passengers often go ‘off grid’ on UK trains
