London Mayor, Ken Livingstone, has announced plans to install technology that will enable mobile phones to work in all tube stations.

The technology may also allow Tube passengers access to wireless Internet and digital radio.

London Underground is currently seeking proposals from suppliers to provide subterranean transmitters in stations and even in tunnels.

It's the latest plan to generate more money for the Underground. Whichever phone operator wins the bid will have to pay Transport for London, for the privilege.

Ken Livingstone said: "We know that many Londoners would like the convenience of being able to use their mobile phones at tube stations throughout the underground network.

"We also want to see how technology could be taken even further, for instance wireless Internet so passengers could receive up-to-the-minute travel information via their laptop or mobile phone."

Trials are set to start at one London station in 2006, with full mobile phone service a possibility on all Underground stations from the summer of 2008.

Roger Evans, Conservative transport spokesman said: "I think its a good idea. My only concern may be that it could enable terrorists to set off bombs remotely and we need to consider that threat.

"We should also look into the potential for mobile phone companies to pay for this themselves - given the extra revenue they will make from customers using their phones on the Tube."

Concerns were raised by the Liberal Democrats last year about the security risks of such plans. Former London Mayoral candidate, Simon Hughes said mobiles were a "cheap and effective long range detonator".

He continued: "Using mobiles on the deep line sections... is unnecessary. Texting is a luxury, security is not."

The Mayor has also announced that he's pushing ahead with his plans for a rival free paper on the tube.

Email us with your views

Let us know what you think. Is mobile technology on the underground a good idea? How will it affect you? Are the security risks too great? e-mail us

Your views

Possibly the only good thing about Tube travel is not having to listen to other passengers' (sorry, customers') inane mobile babble. Considering the Madrid train bombs were detonated by mobile and that an alleged member of that terrorist cell has just been detained in Slough, wouldn't it be safer if Ken kept it that way?
Bennet Goodman

Not a good idea at all. You don't need people jabbering away when you have finally got a seat and want to take a nap.
Lee Gibson

At first I thought this would be a good idea - but on consideration, I think I can cope without sending a text on the tube, or needing to make a call (where I would just have to scream at the top of my voice anyway). Tube journeys are not typically all that long - fair enough people need to use their mobiles if on a longer overground journey, but surely we can wait just a few more minutes until we are off the tube to make that important call to say we are running late !!

Amy Edwards SE1

Oh god no, can you imagine what it would be like? it's bad enough with those infuriating personal stereos, let alone mobiles. I will find the whole thing totally intrusive, and yes I do own a mobile.

Alf Newman
Chipperfield
Hertfordshire

Occasionally I travel to Sweden on business. Imagine the pleasure in using one's mobile phone anywhere in Stockholm whether in the office or on the underground rail lines bored through solid granite.

Even when we can use our mobile phones in London Tube tunnels there will remain a major difference between how Stockholmers and Londoners use their phones on trains. In Stockholm there is no need to phone work/friends that one is stuck on a train because of signal failure, points failure, late running, staff absence, leaves on the line, wrong kind of snow, shortage of rolling stock, or any other of the billion excuses in the Tube management's lexicon for awful service; it simply doesn't happen there. So come Ken get the equipment installed now so we can tell everyone why we are going to be late ... again.

Trevor Jenkins

Please no mobile phones on tubes. The ambient noise on the underground is so
high that those using mobiles will be forced to shout the essential information
that they are "on the tube". It is unpleasant enough to be on a busy underground train
without increasing noise pollution further.

Andy Guilbert

The cons outweigh the pros. Great, we can phone ahead to tell people where we are on the underground. So why not have in-built phone systems on the trains like planes have, if that call is oh-so important?

I don’t want someone shouting down their phone next to me every morning; it’s GREAT to have some peace on the way to/from work!

Also, we’ve seen what happened in the 3/11 Madrid train bombing. KEEP MOBILES OFF THE UNDERGROUND!!!

Lee Haynes

Joseph Royall

Underground on the tube is the one place you can be guaranteed not to have to listen to other people's banal mobile phone conversations. That's enough in itself to question the Mayor's plans, let alone the worrying security implications.
Steve Lee

How can they force this on the travelling public without any regard to the health and safety hazard? There have been, and are, countless protests around the country about the installation of mobile communications transmitters above ground, particularly near schools and in residential areas, because of the health risks from electromagnetic radiation. The official inquiry headed by Sir William Stewart only recently recommended greater caution. People can choose whether or not and how long to use a mobile phone, but they cannot escape a transmitter that is switched on constantly. Tube travel is dangerous enough already without adding to the hazards and nuisance. Anyone concerned about this move to put profit before public health and safety should tell Ken Livingstone where to get off.

Gayle Goshorn
London N2

Let's get train air-con sorted out first (and, er, trains/signal systems that are reliable).

Another Metro?

Great, another free newspaper; a few more thousand trees to be chopped down every day.

Can we assume there will be places to recycle these millions of newspapers side by side with the metal vendors where you pick up them up?

No? I thought not somehow...

Joe (Kensal Green, NW10)

A WORLD OF NO!!

The tube is about the ONLY respite we have from the annoying, pinging, mobiles and the shouty morons who believe they just cannot wait a few minutes to take a call. On a cramped commute it's bad enough if people try, to read a newspaper without people believing they just HAVE to fish out their phone from the bottom of their bag to take a call.

This is madness of the first water and should be scrapped before it gets any further!

Si Belcher

You can use your mobile on the Metro in Paris - why has it taken so long for the companies in the UK to catch up?
Claire Tomlin

Wouldn't it be much better to actually get a decent service running so that that we can all get to work and home on time rather than invest in something like this?

Smitty
London NW3

Take a Thames Tour of Rotherhithe including the home of London's whaling and timber trades

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