Transport for London’s failure to bring mobile phone connectivity to the Tube is damaging the capital’s competitiveness, a new report by the Conservative group on the London Assembly has warned.
The report says being able to use mobiles underground “has become a necessity” if the capital “wants to attract new business” and compete with international rivals.
Conservative Assembly Members want TfL to look at ways of adding mobile network coverage when investing in new upgrade and infrastructure projects.
They have also called for the body to consider working with the private sector to deliver mobile connectivity “as soon as possible.”
Launching the report, Gareth Bacon AM said: “TfL has been dragging their feet for too long and London is far behind in terms of mobile connectivity because of this.
“Paris and Berlin have had this technology since the late 1990’s and now cities such as Moscow, Rome, Seoul, and Beijing are able to make phone calls, text, and surf the web underground when we can’t.
“Every excuse to why London does not have mobile connectivity on the Tube is weak. The technology exists and TfL needs to make the kind of progress driven deals other world cities have made. This may mean TfL will gain a smaller percentage of the large profits this technology will reap, but at this point London needs to catch up.
