AT&T Inc. and T-Mobile USA signed 10-year agreements on Monday with Transit Wireless, a New york-based wireless company charged with creating a wireless network in subway stations across New York City.
At the least six subway stations will be wired by late 2011, and initial plans call for wireless having access to be limited to the stations and their platforms—not moving trains. It will require up to five additional years to wire the rest of the subway system. ( wifi decoder )
The agreements give AT&T and T-Mobile customers access to Transit Wireless’ still-to-be completed underground wireless network. The carriers have the choice to resume the contract four times in five-year increments.
Other carriers will have the option of joining the subterranean network as well.
“The network was created and planned to hold many carriers,” according to Transit Wireless Leader Chris Jaeger. “Our aim is always to have discussions with other carriers to see if they are interested parties in beginning to this network,” Mr. Jaeger said.
Mr. Jaeger declined to disclose how much AT&T and T-Mobile, a unit of Deutsche Telekom AG, have agreed to pay for access to the network.
Plans for bringing wireless service to the town subways have been delayed for about 3 years.
Transit Wireless now is slated to begin construction of its network later this year
