Deep impact: inside the project that's bringing mobile phone coverage to the London Underground

When Wi-Fi was first introduced on the London Underground ahead of the 2012 Olympics, it felt like a watershed moment. Although connectivity could sometimes be patchy and was confined to stations, it marked the beginnings of a 21^st century makeover for the capital’s ageing metro, a digital bridge between the subterranean Victorian world and the data-saturated landscape above. Over a decade on, however, and that makeover doesn’t feel so fresh, struggling to keep pace with modern demands for 24/7 connectivity.

In response, Transport for London (TfL) is undertaking a major programme to deliver a new communications network for the London Underground, known as the Telecommunications Commercialisation Project (TCP). As well as providing a digital backbone for the railroad’s own operations, the vast array of new cellular and fibre optic infrastructure will provide customers with ‘always-on’ coverage throughout their Tube journeys for the first time.

“It’s all really about customers and the customer experience,” Matthew Griffin, head of Telecoms Commercialisation at TfL, told The Engineer. “The Holy Grail is obviously getting connectivity everywhere, all the time... fundamentally for the customer, it’s going to be a whole different experience.”