Good news, G line riders: cell service is soon to come, per MTA
If you've ever been riding the G train attempting to scroll through a frozen feed, we've got good news: The MTA just announced that cell service is coming to major portions of the G line —and it's arriving sooner than you might think.
At Wednesday's MTA committee meeting, officials confirmed that the long-promised expansion of underground cell coverage is picking up steam. Riders on the northern stretch of the G, from Court Square to Hoyt-Schermerhorn, can expect 5G cell service as early as this fall. It's all part of the MTA's broader goal of bringing connectivity to the 418-mile subway system, one tunnel at a time.
This latest rollout will also include the 4 and 5 lines between Bowling Green in Manhattan and Borough Hall in Brooklyn and, eventually, future coverage on the A and C lines. As for the G, the recent signal upgrades and service shutdowns weren't just annoying—they laid the groundwork for a more connected ride.
And here's the kicker: all of this is being done at no cost to the public.
The work is being handled by Boldyn Networks (formerly Transit Wireless), the same company responsible for outfitting all 281 underground stations with Wi-Fi and cellular service back in the 2010s. Through a public-private partnership, Boldyn is footing the $600 million infrastructure bill and will recoup its investment by keeping any revenue from the wireless network it builds. In total, the full 10-year project is expected to result in over $1 billion in benefits to the MTA and its riders.
So when's the whole system going online? Technically, by 2032—but with each capital project, Boldyn is piggybacking on MTA tunnel access to install cables in tandem with other construction work. Think of it as multitasking, but for infrastructure.
'This is being done because a private company—the same company that outfitted the stations to have cell service—now is moving forward with us to put cell connectivity in the tunnels in between the stations,' MTA Chair Janno Lieber told amNewYork.
Though one downside? 'Some people complain they have to listen to too many domestic arguments,' Lieber joked. Still, we'll take that over another dead zone.
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