It’s On: Texting In The Tunnels

Commuters of Sydney: You shall text on the beaches, you shall text in the streets…and now you can even text or surf the Net in the tunnels.Yes, folks Telstra, Optus and Voda have extended their 3G and 4G coverage for Sydneyside commuters travelling through  City Circle train tunnels from stations Central, Town Hall, Wynyard, Circular Quay, St James and Museum.

The new in -tunnel mobile service means no more calls dropping out when you’re about to hop on the train – handy
for commuters who want to log on to their emails or make calls.

The third stage of network expansion will hit
the Eastern Suburbs line to Bondi Junction due to arrive early
2014.

Telstra have also brought their faster 4G network coverage to Martin Place, St James and Museum stations, it announced today.

This additional underground coverage in Sydney CBD builds on work completed in July when mobile coverage was first introduced in tunnels on the North Shore and Western Lines.

Anthony Goonan, Director Network Engineering said customers will no
longer lose network coverage as their train enters the City Circle
whether talking on the phone, updating Facebook, playing
‘Words With Friends’ or streaming music.

“Losing internet service or having calls drop out when you enter the
City Circle can be extremely frustrating, especially if it’s an
important work or family call,” said Mr Goonan.

However, one commuter today complained via the Optus Facebook page: “Is 3g n 4g down in the sydney CBD? I have switched my phone off several times and still nothing.”

Telstra and the other mobile network operators worked closely with the NSW Rail Authority to extend mobile network coverage in the City Circle.