If you happen to be one of those New Yorkers who uses the mostly non-existent/sometimes crappy cellphone service and Wi-Fi inside train stations as a reason to ignore dreaded things like work emails, texts from an ex and the dreaded "showtime," your days of excuses are over.
Wi-Fi is finally arriving at all the train stations of New York City and so is another basic necessity of communication -- cell phone service. By Jan. 9, the 5.7 million people who ride the NYC subway system every day will finally be able to access Wi-Fi and cell phone service for all four major carriers(AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile and Verizon Wireless) while underground, according to an announcement by Gov. Andrew Cuomo.
“By bringing Wi-Fi and cell service underground ahead of schedule, we are reimagining our subway stations to meet the needs of the next generation,” Cuomo said in a statement.
Along with cell phone service already active inside many train stations, Transit Wireless Wi-Fi is currently active at 277 subway stations.
Nearly every underground station has been connected, according to the governor's office, with the final station -- Clark Street on the 2, 3 line in Brooklyn -- going live on Jan. 9. The only stations left out are four that are currently under renovation and will be connected as soon as work is completed.
All the new connectivity is coming considerably sooner than usual, with Wi-Fi connection coming two years ahead of schedule and cell phone coverage arriving a year ahead of schedule, the governor's office said. The Metropolitan Transportation Authority sped up the project after Gov. Cuomo announced a directive at the beginning of 2016 requesting that it do so.
But in the year 2017, it's something the city of New York has been waiting quite a while for.
Topics New York City
