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Mobile operator O2 UK (Virgin Media) has today announced, in a “railway first“, that 4G and hopefully 5G connectivity too (mobile broadband) has received a “major boost” after the London North Eastern Railway (LNER), Network Rail and the private sector completed deployment of a new custom-built Distributed Antenna System (DAS).
As we reported over a year ago, the hope is that this work will ensure that customers travelling through the two tunnels (‘Gasworks’ and ‘Copenhagen’) will eventually receive a “more reliable and consistent mobile phone and on-train Wi-Fi connection” (calls, texts and data / broadband), as well as “the removal of ‘not-spots’” (here).
Thousands of O2 customers will now be able to keep their calls connected and meetings online as they approach and leave London King’s Cross station. In the coming weeks, O2 added that customers of Three UK are also expected to benefit from the same improved connectivity.
The antennas are said to have gone through “rigorous testing” at Network Rail’s Innovation and Development Centre and were fitted to the tunnels by rail connectivity and technology integration specialists, Aureos. The Gasworks and Copenhagen tunnels are the first on the UK’s operational railway to benefit from this specific capability, which complements the work that Transport for London (TfL) are currently doing on the underground.
Dr Robert Joyce, Director of Mobile Access Engineering at O2, said:
“As part of our Mobile Transformation Plan, we are focusing investment into parts of the network that experience the highest levels of demand and areas where connectivity is most critical. Our work with LNER and Network Rail will bring reliable coverage to the Gasworks and Copenhagen tunnels and provide dependable connectivity to our customers in moments that matter.”
Rail Minister, Lord Peter Hendy, said:
“This is a perfect example of track and train coming together to provide tangible improvements ahead of Great British Railways and shows our commitment to putting passenger experience at the top of the rail agenda. An integrated railway can be a driving force for innovative and smart solutions that make train travel more comfortable and convenient and deliver changes that passengers actually want.”
The development follows the publication of a separate study from Streetwave (here), which found that O2 and Three UK delivered some of the poorest mobile coverage and performance on the line, while EE offered some of the best. But the latest development may well change that dynamic and the team have also published a supporting video: