Passengers in Prague’s metro can now use the LTE mobile network on line C from Roztyly to Nádraží Holešovice. Until now, the signal only reached the Museum station. The section between Bořislavka and Motol Hospital on line A is also covered. In total, 16 signal LTE services in the metro station and adjacent tunnels still need to be covered at the end of 2021.
In the upcoming weeks, operators will continue to fine-tune the technology in the newly covered section. Customers can, therefore, use the latest generation mobile services in the Bořislavka – Motol Hospital (4 stations) on line A, in the Museum – Roztyly (8 stations) on line C and from today also in the Muzeum – Nádraží Holešovice on line C (4 stations).
By the end of March 2020, the 4G signal will also be available for passengers in sixteen stations at the centre of Prague: six stations on line A between the Muzeum and Dejvická and ten on line B between the Smíchov train station and Palmovka. Passengers will be able to use the high-speed LTE network in a total of 32 metro stations and adjacent tunnels in spring, which is more than half of the entire extent of Prague metro.
Also, 29 stations and adjacent tunnels will be equipped with state-of-the-art facilities to cover the LTE networks throughout the entire metro area. The original plan predicts the coverage of the 4G signal in all sections by the end of 2022 at the latest. If work continues on the same path as before, passengers will be able to use the signal in all sections of the subway at the end of 2021. “We live online, and the signal in the Prague metro was supposed to be ordinary for a long time. Unfortunately, Prague fell asleep in this field for several years,” said Petr Witowski, General Manager of Prague Transport Company (DPP).
The upcoming new line D could also be covered from the beginning. “The consortium of operators has successfully tested the service on routes A, B, and C, and we are ready to use the experience we’ve achieved in covering line D. We would like to get involved to make the construction really useful,” said Lubor Žatko from T-Mobile and Slovak Telekom on behalf of the Consortium of Operators.
Last April, DPP (Prague Transport Company) approved a contract with a consortium of operators for 20 years; during the first ten years, operators will pay CZK 120 million to DPP. Initially, the operators talked about covering the entire existing metro network by the end of 2022. They now count on this date happening one year earlier.