Filed under: Cell Phones
The cell phone is a powerful tool when you’re trying to meet up with friends somewhere, especially if they’re the bar-hopping type who don’t stay at any one place on a Friday night any longer than it takes to down a pint. But, in New York City, you can forget about staying in touch with friends if you’re traveling by subway — the city’s biggest cell-phone dead zone. Thankfully, that’s finally about to change with New York’s Metropolitan Transportation Authority working to install underground cell phone systems in its stations.
A company called Transit Wireless has pledged $4.6 million per year for each of the next ten years for the privilege of bringing connections to MTA stations. The company will then turn around and sell that access to individual cell providers like AT&T and Sprint. Since all providers will be able to share the same Transit Wireless services, there’s no reason not to expect the same level of underground coverage no matter what carrier you’re on. Unfortunately, your carrier might not be interested in paying whatever Transit Wireless charges. When asked how much it would invest to bring cell phone coverage to subway stations, a consortium of carriers including Verizon and Sprint offered the MTA a mere $40 compared to Transit Wireless’s $46 million. Yes, $40.
The first six stations, all based in downtown Manhattan, will get cell service some time in the next two years, with additional stations getting connected once all the kinks are worked out. And, if you were worried about having to listen to dozens of bits of communication during your morning commute, fear not, because signal will not be extended to the tunnels, only the stations. Not that you can hear anything but your iPod anyway …
From Engadget and textually.org
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