NEW YORK (1010 WINS) — The 42nd Street shuttle now has 5G wireless connectivity, the MTA announced on Wednesday, becoming the first subway line with complete cellphone service in the transit authority’s quest to provide coverage across the entire system.
A public-private agreement between the MTA and Boldyn Network grants customers of major cell carriers like Verizon Wireless, AT&T and T-Mobile full service between Times Square and Grand Central stations.
“People want to be able to do work on the mass transit system. It's one of the advantages of not driving, after all,” MTA CEO and Chair Janno Lieber said at a press conference Wednesday. “And we also have to recognize that a lot of people want to pay candy crush or continue their domestic arguments.”
The MTA has been adding service along a handful of tunnels, like that between Brooklyn and Manhattan on the L line, as part of the agreement which will ultimately provide all 418 miles of subway tunnels cell coverage, and all 191 above-ground subway stations WiFi service, though the project is expected to take years.
Infrastructure is being updated to support this goal while other construction occurs, the MTA said. For example, while the G undergoes signal modernization, workers have been laying cables to support the fiber optic and wireless communications systems.
The next tunnels to receive connectivity are the Joralemon Street Tunnel connecting the 4 and 5 train lines between Manhattan and Brooklyn, and the 4, 5 and 6 train lines from Grand Central station as far north as 161st Street, the MTA said.
“What we're doing here is the most efficient way to bring cell connectivity: Every time we go to do work in a tunnel, we're going to say to our friends at Boldyn, come on in. Be ready, pull that cable. Install that infrastructure. Take advantage of the outage,” Lieber said. “It's going take a few years, but we're going to make the entire system fully connected in the most efficient way possible, which is during other construction outages.”
The MTA will share in the revenues that Boldyn Network receives from cell providers and other commercial customers, and the project is expected to result in over $1 billion in benefit for the MTA and its customers “in terms of service provided, additional revenue and cost savings.”
According to Jamie Torres-Springer, president of MTA construction and development, Boldyn Network invested $600 million in the project for the estimated $1 billion in payoff for NYC subway riders.
“There is no cost to the MTA, there is no public money, and we're excited about that. It's a great way to make improvements in the system,” Torres-Springer said.