Rogers turns on 5G service in more TTC subway tunnels

Rogers turned on cellular service in more of the remaining TTC subway tunnels, expanding coverage to more stations.

Rogers said it turned on 5G service between Kipling and Islington, and Keele and Dundas West stations. This comes as part of the company’s effort to bring wireless service to the remaining 36 kilometres of unconnected subway tunnels.

Now, Rogers aims to connect 80 percent of the entire tunnel network by the end of the year, a deadline that aligns with targets set by the federal government. The company intends to turn on 5G service as work is completed.

The work is largely being done overnight and during weekend construction windows to minimize disruptions.

Rogers started expanding 5G service to unconnected tunnels nearly a year ago after it connected all 75 stations in late 2023.

Getting cellular service in the TTC has been a long, bumpy road. It started all the way back in 2012 when BAI Communications’ Canadian division won the rights to build out cellular infrastructure on the TTC. However, Freedom Mobile was the only provider to reach a deal with BAI, and it started offering cell service on the TTC in 2017.

The Big Three providers refused to sign on until Rogers acquired BAI’s Canadian division — and thus the TTC rights — in 2023. Bell and Rogers both said they would rather build their own infrastructure than use BAI’s.

Since the rollout of cellular service in the subway, the TTC said it would discontinue the free Wi-Fi it offered in subway tunnels. It said upgrading the Wi-Fi service would be too costly and that after cellular service arrived, Wi-Fi usage dropped 65 percent.

Source: Rogers

Header image credit: Rogers