London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Sep 11, 2025

Tube passengers may be able to stream World Cup Final on Underground 4G

Tube passengers may be able to stream World Cup Final on Underground 4G

The exact launch date could be ready in time for the final on December 18

Tube passengers may be able to stream the World Cup Final on their smartphones while deep underground, it can be revealed.

The roll-out of 4G wifi on the London Underground is due to hit a major landmark by the end of next month, when a number of stations and tunnels on the Northern and Central lines will be the first in central London to be connected.

The exact launch date is being kept under wraps but it is understood it could be ready in time for the final on December 18. Stations previously earmarked as being the first to benefit include Euston, Bank and Oxford Circus.

The Standard has been given behind-the-scenes access to the work being done to install super-fast wifi to the subterranean sections of the Underground.

The £1bn-plus investment is being carried out by BAI Communications under a 20-year deal that will deliver an annual income to Transport for London. Passengers will be able to make voice calls, text, browse the web and stream movies and TV throughout their journey, at no additional cost under their mobile contract.

Ken Ranger, chief operating office of BAI UK, said: “You will be able to use your phone exactly as you use it above ground, below ground.


The work is ongoing

“You will be able to talk to your loved ones, to stay connected, for entertainment, if you are running late from the office and you can’t get hold of your partner or child and know you can communicate with somebody.”

BAI began work last year and will complete all 137 below-ground stations and their interlinking tunnels – plus those on the Elizabeth line – by the end of next year.

More than 500 people are working each night to install more than 1,200 miles of cabling, antennae and radio receivers. All phone operators will be able to connect into the “neutral” network being laid by BAI.
Skiparrow
Sponsored Ad
Up next
Capital city quiz
Apester Logo
Skiparrow
Sponsored Ad
Up next
Capital city quiz
Apester Logo

Much of the equipment has to be fitted into the tightest of spaces, or hidden behind panelling in passenger tunnel walkways. Engineers have no more than 3.5 hours a night, between the last trains running around 1am and the Tube restarting after 5am.

The technology, which links with 10 “data centres” at secret locations around the capital, is future-proofed to enable later upgrades to 5G. A network of cables is also being laid to create a “full-fibre spine for London”.

The roll-out follows the 2020 trial of 4G on the eastern end of the Jubilee line.

BAI already operates 4G networks on the New York, Toronto and Hong Kong subways.

Matthew Griffin, head of commercial telecoms at TfL, said 4G would provide a “seamless” connection for passengers.

“You can be connected as you walk into a station, walk through the station, take a Tube, change Tubes and then walk out of the station into the street, and your call will be connected at all times,” he said.

“Our plan is to start rolling it out very soon - hopefully some stations by the end of the year, and a really big roll-out in 2023, when a lot of people’s journeys will be covered. We will finish the whole thing off by the end of 2024 - the very hard to reach areas.”

He doubted many passengers would make calls between stations – due to the noise levels from the speed of the Tube.

“My personal view is that it is quite noisy and difficult,” he said. “I would be uncomfortable doing it.

“There will be some people that do it but I think it’s mainly going to be a data and entertainment use - streaming videos, WhatsApp messages. That mirrors how people use their phones above ground. The use of data is increasing a lot, whereas voice is declining.”

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
The British legal mafia hit back: Banksy mural of judge beating protester is scrubbed from London court
Surpassing Musk: Larry Ellison becomes the richest man in the world
Embarrassment for Starmer: He fired the ambassador photographed on Epstein’s 'pedophile island'
Manhunt after 'skilled sniper' shot Charlie Kirk. Footage: Suspect running on rooftop during panic
Effective Protest Results: Nepal’s Prime Minister Resigns as Youth-Led Unrest Shakes the Nation
Qatari prime minister says Netanyahu ‘killed any hope’ for Israeli hostages
King Charles and Prince Harry Share First In-Person Moment in 19 Months
Starmer Establishes Economic ‘Budget Board’ to Centralise Policy and Rebuild Business Trust
France Erupts in Mass ‘Block Everything’ Protests on New PM’s First Day
Poland Shoots Down Russian Drones in Airspace Violation During Ukraine Attack
Brazilian police say ex-President Bolsonaro had planned to flee to Argentina seeking asylum
Trinidad Leader Applauds U.S. Naval Strike and Advocates Forceful Action Against Traffickers
Kim Jong Un Oversees Final Test of New High-Thrust Solid-Fuel Rocket Engine
Apple Introduces Ultra-Thin iPhone Air, Enhanced 17 Series and New Health-Focused Wearables
Macron Appoints Sébastien Lecornu as Prime Minister Amid Budget Crisis and Political Turmoil
Supreme Court temporarily allows Trump to pause billions in foreign aid
Charlie Sheen says his father, Martin Sheen, turned him in to the police: 'The greatest betrayal possible'
Vatican hosts first Catholic LGBTQ pilgrimage
Apple Unveils iPhone 17 Series, iPhone Air, Apple Watch 11 and More at 'Awe Dropping' Event
Pig Heads Left Outside Multiple Paris Mosques in Outrage-Inducing Acts
Nvidia’s ‘Wow’ Factor Is Fading. The AI chip giant used to beat Wall Street expectations for earnings by a substantial margin. That trajectory is coming down to earth.
France joins Eurozone’s ‘periphery’ as turmoil deepens, say investors
On the Anniversary of Queen Elizabeth’s Death: Prince Harry Returns to Britain
France Faces New Political Crisis, again, as Prime Minister Bayrou Pushed Out
Murdoch Family Finalises $3.3 Billion Succession Pact, Ensuring Eldest Son’s Leadership
Big Oil Slashes Jobs and Investments Amid Prolonged Low Crude Prices
Court Staff Cover Up Banksy Image of Judge Beating a Protester
Social Media Access Curtailed in Turkey After CHP Calls for Rallies Following Police Blockade of Istanbul Headquarters
Nayib Bukele Points Out Belgian Hypocrisy as Brussels Considers Sending Army into the Streets
Elon Musk Poised to Become First Trillionaire Under Ambitious Tesla Pay Plan
France, at an Impasse, Heads Toward Another Government Collapse
Burning the Minister’s House Helped Protesters to Win Justice: Prabowo Fires Finance Minister in Wake of Indonesia Protests
Brazil Braces for Fallout from Bolsonaro Trial by corrupted judge
The Country That Got Too Rich? Public Spending Dominates Norway Election
Nearly 40 Years Later: Nike Changes the Legendary Slogan Just Do It
Generations Born After 1939 Unlikely to Reach Age One Hundred, New Study Finds
End to a four-year manhunt in New Zealand: the father who abducted his children to the forests was killed, the three siblings were found
Germany Suspends Debt Rules, Funnels €500 Billion Toward Military and Proxy War Strategy
EU Prepares for War
BMW Eyes Growth in China with New All‑Electric Neue Klasse Lineup
Trump Threatens Retaliatory Tariffs After EU Imposes €2.95 Billion Fine on Google
Tesla Board Proposes Unprecedented One-Trillion-Dollar Performance Package for Elon Musk
US Justice Department Launches Criminal Mortgage-Fraud Probe into Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook
Escalating Drug Trafficking and Violence in Latin America: A Growing Crisis
US and Taiwanese Defence Officials Held Secret Talks in Alaska
Report: Secret SEAL Team 6 Mission in North Korea Ordered by Trump in 2019 Ended in Failure
Gold Could Reach Nearly $5,000 if Fed Independence Is Undermined, Goldman Sachs Warns
Uruguay, Colombia and Paraguay Secure Places at 2026 World Cup
Florida Murder Case: The Adelson Family, the Killing of Dan Markel, and the Trial of Donna Adelson
Trump Administration Advances Plans to Rebrand Pentagon as Department of War Instead of the Fake Term Department of Defense
×