The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority will expand cell phone service in its 20 busiest underground stations by Oct. 16, allowing riders using AT&T Inc., Sprint Nextel Corporation, Deutsche Telekom AG -- commonly known as T-Mobile -- and Verizon Communications Inc. to make and receive calls and text messages.
The Tenleytown-AU Metro station will not have expanded service by this date, but stations on the list include Friendship Heights, Farragut North, Gallery Place-Chinatown and Metro Center, according to a Metro press release.
Wi-Fi will also be available to paying customers through their cell phone providers.
Oct. 16 will mark the completion of the first stage of Metro's project to increase cell phone service, Angela Gates, a Metro spokesperson, said. Phase two is providing all underground stations with full service by the fall of 2010 and stage three is expanding that service to cover the tunnels between stations by the fall of 2012.
"The main thing is that people understand that this is a phased-in approach, so you're not going to have cell phone service throughout the entire system immediately," Gates said.
Verizon is currently the only cell phone carrier service supported in any of the underground Metro stations, following a 1993 contract, according to Gates. Metro allowed Bell Atlantic Mobile Systems, which later became Verizon Wireless, to build and maintain the current cell phone network. In exchange, Verizon built a safety radio communications system for Metro.
Customers began asking for increased service, however, and in March 2008, the Metro board began soliciting proposals for a new operating system, Gates said.
Lindsey Flick, a junior in the School of International Service, uses AT&T and is excited that she will now have service in Metro stations.
"There have been a few times where [I've] been running late and I would have liked to call someone and let them know that I'd be late. It will be nice to be able to do that," Flick said.
Bryan Innes, a sophomore in the College of Arts and Sciences, uses Verizon and has always been able to use his phone on the Metro. However, he said the expanded service will be appreciated by those who had been less lucky than himself.
"I think it's a great idea," he said. "I think that everyone's going to be [very] pleased with it."
The four cell phone providers are currently working together and with Metro personnel to install the cables and wiring necessary, Gates said. Metro riders will soon see the cabinet-like structures that contain this hardware appearing at the end of station platforms. The work is being completed late at night and will not cause any delays in rail service, according to Gates.
The providers are paying Metro for the right to install their networks and the project is expected to generate at least $25 million for Metro during the first 15 years, Gates said.
So far, the project has moved according to schedule without meeting any complications or obstacles, he added.
However, Flick is skeptical that Metro will complete the next phases of the project on time.
"Knowing Metro, I doubt [they will be on time], just because Metro often fails at most of what they try to do," she said.
There has been some misrepresentation of the speed at which Metro plans to have the project completed, Gates said.
"I've heard TV stations reporting that soon you'll be able to make calls on the train, but it's not really like you're going to be able to ride around on the train and talk on your cell phone," she said.
You can reach this staff writer at mkendall@theeagleonline.com.
