Glasgow Subway installs 4G to allow phone calls
Passengers on the Glasgow Subway will be the first in Britain to be able to make phone calls from an underground train, The Scotsman has learned.
EE customers will be able to use their mobiles while trains are both at platforms and in tunnels as part of an upgrade of the system expected to be completed next year.
Underground trains are among the few remaining places where phones can’t be used – and it remains to be seen whether callers will be able to hear over the noise of the Subway trains’ noisy shoogle.
Passengers could previously only use their phones in stations and wi-fi for data, under an old system which was switched off after it became unreliable.
The phone calls innovation is expected to be introduced ahead of the London Underground and other subway systems.
Ahead of its introduction, EE has installed a new 4G network in the Subway’s 15 stations in time for the COP26 climate change conference, which starts on Sunday.
It said the improved 4G coverage would enable people with Ee-connected phones to call, text and access data, such as for social media and apps.
The upgrade also means people will be able to continue calls and use data while walking between the street and station platforms without needing to connect to the Subway’s wi-fi.
A spokesperson for Btowned EE told The Scotsman: “At present, you can make calls in the stations over 4G.
“When EE has completed work in the tunnels over the coming months, you will be able to make calls there too.
"It will provide uninterrupted coverage for EE customers across the Subway.
“This isn’t available in London yet, so is a first for the UK in Scotland.”
The spin-off for passengers is thanks to a new emergency services network (ESN) being installed on the 124-year-old circular railway, which is the third oldest in the world after London and Budapest.
The network will be used by police, fire and rescue, and ambulance staff for calls and sending data and video.
The ESN will take priority over all other network traffic to ensure the speed of first responders receiving important data is not affected.