Verizon Wireless to Offer Mobile Coverage on Chicago Underground Railway

The Chicago Transit Authority says that it has secured an agreement with Verizon Wireless to provide mobile phone coverage in the city's subway tunnels. Verizon joins U.S. Cellular in providing coverage in trains when underground.

"We are trying to move it along as quickly as we possibly can," Verizon spokeswoman Carolyn Schamberger told the Chicago Sun-Times.

The service should be up and running by the end of next month for train staff initially with a public launch expected shortly afterwards.

Aldridge Electric of Libertyville, Illinois was the contractor which originally installed the underground cellular system for the railway back in 2003. The CTA had earlier asked the network operators to club together to build a network, but was unable to secure an agreement so went out and built its own network. Capacity on this was leased to US Cellular, but they have only now secured the agreement with Verizon Wireless to rent capacity as well.

Allgon's fiber-based distributed antenna network transmits mobile radio signals from strategically positioned radio base station hotels outside of the Chicago Subway tunnel system.

The Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) is an independent governmental agency created by Illinois state legislation in 1947. The CTA operates the USA's second largest public transportation system and covers the City of Chicago and 40 surrounding suburbs.

Posted to the site on 21st July 2008