Mobile phone coverage on London’s Tube network is being expanded to cover the whole of the network by the end of this year.

At the moment, coverage extends to about 60 per cent of those stations that are underground, but coverage is being extended, including 4G and 5G mobile coverage on sections of the Bakerloo, Metropolitan, and Circle lines, including in the tunnels.

Stations already with coverage include Vauxhall, Barbican, and Gloucester Road, and the platforms, ticket halls, and interchanges at major stations such as Paddington, Victoria, and King’s Cross St Pancras.

The latest work has extended coverage to tunnelled sections on the Bakerloo line between Queen’s Park and Edgware Road, the Metropolitan line between Euston Square and King’s Cross St Pancras, and between Barbican and Moorgate.

On the Circle and District lines, the sections between Cannon Street and Monument, Sloane Square and Victoria, and Bayswater and Paddington are now covered.

Network operators Three UK, EE, Vodafone, and Virgin Media O2 (VMO2) are all taking part in the rollout, which will also host the new Emergency Services Network (ESN). Extension of the coverage involves hundreds of engineers working overnight during the limited time when the Tube is closed for engineering work. It is anticipated that they will have completed work and switched on live coverage in tunnels on most of the Northern, Bakerloo, and Metropolitan lines by the end of this summer.

Mobile coverage is also being extended to those parts of the Docklands Light Railway that are underground, and to the Windrush line between Highbury & Islington and New Cross.

As well as installing mobile coverage across the Tube, small-cell technology is being installed on TfL assets such as lighting columns to improve mobile connectivity in some of London’s busiest areas, such as King’s Cross, Waterloo, London Bridge, and Hyde Park Corner.

Click here for additional information regarding the expansion of mobile phone coverage.

Introduction of high-speed mobile connectivity for the Tube network started in 2022, and by 2024, 4G and 5G had been extended across Central London on the Elizabeth line.

“We are delighted to be delivering more mobile coverage to our customers across our Tube network. Providing mobile coverage across our network means customers can stay better connected while they travel, allowing them to stay in contact with friends and family, shop online and keep up with the latest news and sports results. We remain focused on having 4G and 5G mobile coverage across the whole Tube network by the end of the year, and more than 600 engineers work hard overnight during limited engineering hours to help deliver this.”

Rebecca Bissell, Director of Information Technology, Transport for London