Commuters, rejoice: starting in 2014, Sprint will become the third major wireless carrier in the US to expand its voice and data coverage to the New York City subway system’s underground stations. Thanks to a new deal with Transit Wireless (the official wireless operator for the New York City Transit Authority), Sprint said that by 2014, it will able to offer wireless service in 36 stations in midtown Manhattan and the nearby Chelsea neighborhood. Customers of Sprint’s subsidiaries Boost Mobile and Virgin Mobile will also gain access to the new underground wireless service.
Sprint will offer wireless service in underground NYC subway stations beginning in 2014
Sprint will begin by offering 3G and 4G LTE service in 30 stations, among them busy hubs such as Times Square, Rockefeller Center, Lincoln Center and Columbus Circle. Eventually, Sprint plans to expand to all 277 underground stations in the entire NYC subway system, including those located outside of Manhattan, though it hasn’t yet provided a timeline for when that will happen. Still, the news is great for subway riders, coming on the heels of AT&T’s and T-Mobile’s announcement earlier this year to expand their service to the same initial set of 36 stations. Plus, all 36 stations already have free Wi-Fi service thanks to Boingo and a sponsorship by HTC. Check out the full list of stations with cell and wi-fi service here on the New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s website. And try not to get so distracted by your phone you miss your stop (or get in the way).
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