Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today announced that cell phone coverage in underground subway stations will be available a full year ahead of schedule, with all four carriers AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile and Verizon Wireless, present across underground stations as of Monday, January 9th. In addition, Wi-Fi has been installed in underground stations a full two years ahead of schedule. The MTA?s early delivery was in response to the Governor?s directive at the beginning of 2016 to accelerate the project.
??Today?s announcement represents another important step in the Governor?s ongoing campaign to modernize the MTA, and comes shortly after he presided over the on-time opening of the new Second Avenue Subway, which includes three new, state-of-the-art stations, as well as a new entrance at the existing Lexington and 63rd Street Station.?
??By bringing Wi-Fi and cell service underground ahead of schedule, we are reimagining our subway stations to meet the needs of the next generation,? Governor Cuomo said. ?This will better connect New Yorkers who are on-the-go and build on our vision to reimagine the country?s busiest transportation network for the future. I thank all of our partners.?
Almost every underground station has already been completed and the final station, Clark Street on the 2, 3 line in Brooklyn, will go live on Monday, January 9. Four stations which are either under renovation (South Ferry) or about to start a renovation (Prospect Ave., 53rd Street and Bay Ridge) will come online immediately upon conclusion of their renovation. The construction of the wireless, Wi-Fi and public safety network began in 2011 with the connection of six underground stations in Manhattan’s Chelsea neighborhood, and was slated for completion in 2018. However, at the direction of Governor Cuomo, the process was accelerated, with Wi-Fi connectivity in underground stations scheduled for the end of 2016, almost two years ahead of the original schedule.
Leecia Eve, Verizon Wireless, Vice President, State Government Affairs said, ?Providing wireless service in subway stations is just one example of our continuous efforts to provide our customers with New York City and the Tri-State Area?s #1 Network. We continue to lead the industry with network enhancements like LTE Advanced, which provides 50% faster peak speeds to our customers here in New York and in over 460 markets around the country, covering 90% of the population.?
