Rogers Communications has launched the first phase of new 5G wireless services in parts of the TTC subway system on Wednesday, bringing with it more reliable access to 911.
As of early Wednesday, Rogers customers will have full 5G capabilities in all the stations and tunnels of the ‘lower-U’ of the subway system (St. George south to Union, north to Bloor-Yonge and west to St. George).
Also, stations between Keele and Castle Frank, plus Spadina and Dupont, will have 5G service at platform level and in station corridors.
When it comes to requests from TTC passengers, staff with the agency said cell service has been at the top of the list.
“The demand has definitely been there. The request has been there. We’ve heard our customers loud and clear,” Fort Monaco, the chief of operations and infrastructure with the TTC, said.
However, getting to this point has been a complicated process.
Typically between 2 and 5 a.m. every day over the past several months when trains weren’t running, crews used work cars to move through the system and install a vast network of cables and antennas to bring service down below.
“Probably doing it around 500 to 600, 800 feet a night depending on the type of cable it also depends on the infrastructure,” Monaco estimated.
“It’s not just a matter of running a bunch of equipment in a tunnel. Need to consider the clearance available so that you can safely on trains. The other thing is we’ve also got asbestos in the tunnels, and asbestos needs to be cleaned well prior to the work actually proceeding.”
This latest development came after Rogers Communications, the parent company of CityNews, bought BAI Canada in April. That company provided wi-fi services on TTC subway platforms as well as limited cellular service for Freedom Mobile customers. Rogers also acquired the rights to fix and expand the system.
Ron McKenzie, the chief technology and information officer for Rogers, said his crews have done a major overhaul of signal capacity. Once fully done, executives said the signal should be strong enough to stream a movie end to end on the subway system.
“Although there have been there have been some options available, it really was a legacy 3G, early 4G system,” McKenzie said.
“The way to think about this is it was a single-lane road and we’ve now turned it into a multi-lane highway to deliver more capacity and coverage.”
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While full 5G capabilities are just for Rogers customers, there will be more reliable 911 service in the subway system for all wireless users.
“911 will be available for any device on any operators network — always available that’s key — and so that no matter what network you’re on, you’ll always be able to make a 911 call,” McKenzie said.
For months, Bell and Telus officials criticized Rogers having the rights to build out a 5G system and argued all companies should be building it in concert. But McKenzie said there is room for other telecommunications companies.
“The network is now fully capable of supporting multi-operator and the systems available if the other operators wish to join they can plug in their radios and deliver services on the existing infrastructure that we’ve now upgraded,” he said.
When asked about the lack of a public, firm timeline for when other carriers will be onboard, McKenzie said, “It’s welcomed the other operators join.”
In a report to the federal government earlier in August as part of consultations on full wireless access in the TTC subway system, Rogers staff argued they should be able to proceed with launching the network even before a deal can be reached with other companies.
As for what’s next, executives said they hope 5G service will be available at all station platforms by the end of 2023. They said while they hope to move as quickly as possible to bring 5G capabilities to the remaining 75 per cent of tunnels without coverage, there isn’t a firm timeframe for it yet.
Rogers Communications is the parent company of CityNews
