35 Big Apple subway stations get mobile service from Verizon

Verizon is going underground. The nation's largest carrier is setting up service for 35 New York City subway stations on the west side of Manhattan from 23rd St. to 96th St. That covers some of the most famous and expensive real estate in the world, including Times Square, Lincoln Center and Rockefeller Center. Now this does not mean that you are going to get service on the actual subway car. But while you're on the platform, you will be able to make and take calls, send and receive texts, and surf the internet. The signal is also available in the actual subway station.

Verizon has also buffed up its 9-1-1 calling system underground. Anyone dialing the emergency number from a subway platform will have his or her location traced accurately by dispatchers. To be honest, a subway station isn't the safest place to be at certain times of the day, so this is an important feature for Big Red's customers in New York City. With Verizon inking a pact, all four major U.S. carriers now have a deal with Transit Wireless, which controls the wireless space at subway stations and platforms in the region.


Big metro areas are really testing Verizon's pipeline. CFO Fran Shammo said earlier this year that the amount of video being downloaded by subscribers has been surprisingly large. Overall, a third of Verizon's subscribers are munching away at 64% of the data. In major cities like New York, Shammo said that the numbers are even higher.

But we digress. According to the official site for NYC Subway Wireless, customers of Verizon, AT&T and T-Mobile, will connect to a Wi-Fi connection immediately upon entering an operation subway station. Look, it's not going to make your actual subway ride any better, but depending on where you're going, you can look forward to having a wireless signal when you exit the subway car.

source: NYCSubwayWireless via PCMag