More stations and tunnelled sections of the Tube network across London now have high-speed mobile coverage, Transport for London (TfL) and Boldyn Networks have announced, including the first sections of the Circle and District line.
Alongside the whole of the Elizabeth line, 62 out of 121 Tube stations that are located ‘underground’ are now receiving mobile coverage in their ticket halls, corridors, and platforms. Key stations including Euston Square, Cannon Street, and Battersea Power Station have recently gone live with 4G and 5G mobile coverage, with more, including King’s Cross St Pancras, Gloucester Road, Warwick Avenue, and Vauxhall, set to go live in the next few months.
Work to extend coverage in the tunnels along Tube lines also continues to make good progress, with the first sections of the Circle and District line between Blackfriars and Cannon Street, and between Notting Hill Gate and Bayswater, now live. TfL and Boldyn are working to introduce more sections as quickly as possible during 2026, and now expect the vast majority of the Northern and Metropolitan lines to have coverage in the tunnels by the end of summer 2026.
All four mobile network operators (Three UK, EE, Vodafone, and Virgin Media O2 (VMO2)) are taking part in the rollout, as part of the Mayor and TfL’s commitment to bring mobile connectivity to the whole of London’s transport network. The expanding coverage will also host the new Emergency Services Network (ESN), which, when fully operational, will be able to give first responders immediate access to life-saving data, images and information in live situations and emergencies on the frontline.
TfL and Boldyn are working to introduce high-speed 4G and 5G mobile coverage across the whole Tube, Docklands Light Railway (DLR), Elizabeth line network, and the Windrush line between Highbury & Islington and New Cross. Following full interoperability testing being completed across all Tube lines in 2025, design and initial testing work is now underway on the Windrush line and DLR, ahead of coverage being introduced to the tunnelled sections and stations later this year. Installation work is already taking place alongside the planned escalator works at Cutty Sark to help ensure that customers can benefit from mobile coverage at this station as quickly as possible.
Work to deliver mobile coverage across the whole Tube network will continue throughout 2026, with work focusing on sections of the Circle and District line, where a number of stations already have limited mobile coverage due to being closer to the surface, as well as along the Victoria, Jubilee, Bakerloo, and Piccadilly lines. Installation work will also continue along sections outside of central London, and where smaller tunnelled sections need to be treated individually. Both TfL and Boldyn remain focused on the whole Tube network having mobile coverage by end of 2026.
Isabel Coman, director of Engineering and Asset Strategy at TfL, said: “It’s great to see further progress in our goal to introduce high-speed mobile coverage across our Tube network. The latest stations and tunnels going live means that we are on a clear path towards having 4G and 5G mobile coverage across the whole network by the end of 2026.
“Engineers are working hard overnight during the limited engineering hours to deliver this programme and we hope that customers enjoy benefitting from being able to stay in contact with friends and family, shop online and stay on top of the latest news and sports results while travelling across London.”
Boldyn Networks was awarded a 20-year concession by TfL in June 2021 to deliver high speed mobile connectivity across the entire London Underground network. Around 400 engineers are regularly working on the project overnight, delivering the project during the limited overnight engineering hours on the Tube network. Boldyn is also committed to installing a fibre backbone across the capital to improve connectivity both above and below ground, bringing wide reaching socio-economic benefits to local businesses and communities.
Alongside installing mobile coverage across the Tube, TfL and Boldyn are also working to install small-cell technology on TfL assets such as lighting columns, to enhance mobile connectivity in high-footfall urban areas. Some of the capital’s busiest areas such as King’s Cross, Waterloo, London Bridge, Old Street, The Shard, and Hyde Park Corner are already benefiting from this work.
Nick Hudson, chief operating officer for the UK & Ireland at Boldyn Networks, commented: “Our long-term partnership with TfL to extend reliable 4G and 5G mobile coverage across the London Underground is grounded in improving everyday journeys for millions of people. A project of this scale demands extraordinary engineering effort and close-knit collaboration with TfL, with work often carried out overnight in one of the world’s most complex transport networks.
“We’re immensely proud of what’s been achieved so far, and each section completed brings us closer to our goal of creating a more connected London for those who visit the city and those who call it home.”
Image credit: TfL
