In 2023, getting reliable access to the internet while you are travelling really is a must.
Whether you are looking to get some work done while you move around the capital, shopping online while you grab a coffee, or checking on your train connection, getting online via your phone or laptop is essential.
While the London Underground network was once thought of as one of the UK’s biggest ‘non-spots’, Transport for London has announced a plan to roll out complete internet connectivity in both stations and tunnels by 2024.
More and more stations will be getting connected throughout 2023 as TfL aims to meet its goal, with more popular lines getting online this summer.
But where can you use Wi-Fi and mobile data on the Tube?
Here is what you need to know.
Where can you use Wi-Fi on the London Underground?
According to TfL, you can currently access Wi-Fi at the following spots:
- All Tube stations
- Almost all London Overground stations
- All Elizabeth line stations under central London
It is also available at the Victoria Coach Station.
This means you cannot connect to Wi-Fi while in the tunnels but can connect at the next station.
To do this, you’ll need to connect to EE WiFi-Auto, Wi-Fi Extra (for O2), Three_WIFI, or _The Cloud (in London Overground), with Vodaphone’s Wi-Fi offering now being added to that list.
Andrea Dona, Vodafone’s UK Chief Network Officer, said: ‘Our customers who regularly use the Tube have told us that having access to Wi-Fi is extremely important to them, so we’ve listened and reactivated the service on a new, more reliable system, that is easy-to-use and provides a seamless experience.
Where can you use 4G and 5G on the London Underground?
At the moment, the opportunity to use your mobile data is more of a mixed picture – but work is being done to expand.
The Tfl website states: ‘Jubilee line customers have been able to connect to 4G on their mobiles since March 2020. The service runs in 8 stations and connecting tunnels from Westminster to Canning Town.’
‘Customers can also access 4G and 5G-ready mobile coverage on the Central line between Holland Park and Queensway and on the Northern line between Archway and Kentish Town, in ticket halls and platforms, as well as in tunnels between stations.’
However, the expansion of coverage has begun, with Camden Town Tube station becoming the latest stop on the Underground network to receive 4G and 5G mobile coverage on June 6.
TfL has also said that Mornington Crescent station will receive coverage ‘within the next fortnight’, while coverage within the tunnels between Kentish Town, Camden Town and Mornington Crescent stations will become available ‘in the coming months’.
On the expansion, Mayor of London Sadiq Khan, the mayor of London, said: ‘I am delighted to see the promise I made of delivering 4G across the London Underground continuing to progress, with Camden Town joining an ever growing network of lines and stations with full connectivity.
‘Growing numbers of underground Tube stations now have 4G services, with many more to come as we continue to invest in London’s digital infrastructure. By increasing connectivity across our capital we are helping to build a better, fairer and more prosperous London for everyone.’
Furthermore, later in the summer, coverage is expected to extend to some of the capital’s busiest stations, including Oxford Circus and Tottenham Court Road, along with further stations along the Northern and Central lines.
More locations like all ticket halls, platforms, and tunnels on both the London Underground and Elizabeth line networks are expected to have 4G and 5G coverage‘by late 2024’.
If your phone is 4/5G capable, it should automatically connect to any spots where signal is available.
More information is available on the Transport for London website.
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