WiFi, cell services comes to 30 more stations as Verizon, Sprint hop aboard

These 36 stations are now fully equipped with cell and WiFi service. (Photo via Second Ave. Sagas on Instagram)

Services from all four major cell phone carriers will soon be available underground, and 30 new stations are now cell and WiFi equipped, Transit Wireless and the MTA announced today. With this unveiling, a total of 36 underground subway stations are now wired, and another 40 will join them by the end of the first quarter in 2014.

During a press conference this morning at Times Square — one of the newly equipped stations — and in a subsequent press release, agency and cell provider officials stressed how this wireless access can be a boost to subway safety and help New Yorkers remain plugged in while on the go. “This goes beyond providing cell service underground. It brings our customers a new level of security –with the ability to dial 911 in an emergency,” said Governor Cuomo. “Customers now know that when they see something, they can now say something using their device to call 911. And now with all the major carriers on board, the vast majority of MTA customers will have the ability to do so.”

Echoing an AT&T official who noted “tremendous demand for wireless services underground,” the CEO of Transit Wireless touted the technological advances as well. “The New York City subway system is one of the most heavily trafficked systems in the world and now riders have wireless service,” William A. Bayne Jr. said. “This network benefits not only riders, but city workers and first responders, and it will be the backbone for future technology and safety improvements to the city’s subway stations.”

For a few years now, AT&T and T-Mobile had been available at the Phase 1 stations, but today, Verizon and Sprint announced that they too would be offering cellular LTE service underground at all 36 stations currently equipped. Furthermore, Boingo, a public WiFi provider, revealed its free, ad-supporter network as well. HTC is the current sponsor, and WiFi Internet access is now free following a 15-second video ad. For smartphone and tablet users waiting for a train, the digital connection is a welcome distraction.

For now, the full list of stations — shown above — all focus around Midtown, but that will change over the next year. The Phase 3 rollout, which will wrap by the end of the first quarter of 2014, will include Grand Central, Bryant Park, Herald Square, Flushing-Main St. and numerous other Queens stations. MTA Executive Director Tom Prendergast explained that the roll-out had been chosen based on both passenger volume and ease of installation, and the 36 stations currently with service see an average of 7 million riders per year.

During the press conference, Transit Wireless and MTA officials stressed the costs as well. Transit Wireless is picking up the full cost of installation, estimated between $200-$250 million, and the MTA is paying nothing. In fact, the agency will realize increased revenue through a split of the occupancy fees paid by the wireless carriers and sublicense fees. The MTA estimates around $3.3 million annually once all 277 underground stations are wired.

After the jump, a full list of all stations currently with cellular and wireless Internet service.

1. 23 Street – 8 Ave. CE
2. 14 Street – 8 Ave. ACE
3. 14 Street – 7 Ave. 123
4. 14 Street – 6 Ave. FM
5. 14 Street – 8 Ave. L
6. 14 Street – 6 Ave. L
7. 96 Street BC
8. 86 Street BC
9. 28 Street 1
10. 18 Street 1
11. 81 Street-Museum of Natural History BC
12. 72 Street BC
13. 79 Street 1
14. 23 Street 1
15. 96 Street 123
16. 66 Street-Lincoln Center 1
17. 72 Street 123
18. 57 Street F
19. 47-50 Streets-Rockefeller Center BDFM
20. 57 Street-7 Ave. NQR
21. 28 Street NR
22. 50 Street 1
23. 50 Street CE
24. 23 Street NR
25. 49 Street NR
26. 5 Ave.-53 Street EM
27. 59 Street-Columbus Circle 1
28. 59 St-Columbus Circle ABCD
29. 7 Ave. BDE
30. Times Square-42 Street 123
31. Times Square-42 Street NQR
32. Times Square-42 Street 7
33. Times Square-42 Street ACE
34. Times Square-42 Street S
35. 5 Ave.-59 Street NR
36. 86 Street 1