A contract enabling the commencement of works on covering the pilot section of Prague’s underground with mobile signal was signed in April this year. Since 2 October, passengers have been able to use the services of mobile operators CETIN, O2, T-Mobile and Vodafone in the first section between the Muzeum and Vyšehrad stations. At 3:00 p.m. today, 30 October, the consortium of operators is launching the service in the remaining part of the pilot section between the Pražského povstání and Roztyly stations. The operators, which are paying for the rollout using their own funds, have invested approx. CZK 80 million to date.

According to information provided by the representatives of the consortium, covering the underground is indeed a complicated task: a large number of entities are collaborating on the project, technicians move in unknown terrain and works in the public parts of the underground stations and tunnels can only be performed during breaks in the underground system’s operation., i.e., for two and half hours at night. It would hardly be possible to complete the pilot project by the set deadline without outstanding cooperation between all companies involved and the Prague Public Transit Company (Dopravní podnik hlavního města Prahy).

The pilot section will be followed by covering the entire metropolitan underground system. The core of the project will be implemented in the next two years: in 2019, the consortium plans to cover another 21 stations that are the busiest. All the remaining stations and tunnels between them will then be covered in 2020 and 2021.

“We are succeeding in enhancing passengers’ comfort and, at the same time, we are thus fulfilling what we have promised. Another 21 stations will be covered next year and I am confident that the entire underground will be covered by 2021, as stated in the contract.” says Adriana Krnáčová, mayor of Prague.

Facts and figures:

• Prague’s underground daily transports up to 1.7 million passengers on three lines with a total length of 65.2 km. The total number of stations is 61.
• The consortium of operators consisting of T-Mobile, CETIN, O2 and Vodafone is covering the underground with mobile technology at their own cost.
• The project is organised on behalf of all operators in the consortium by T-Mobile.
• All mobile services – calls, text messages and data – will be available to customers of all mobile operators, including virtual operators.
• Works can only be performed on weekdays, for two and a half hours at night during breaks in operation of the underground system.
• It takes two months to cover the tunnel between two stations in both directions.
• Up to CZK 10,000,000 is needed to cover the section between two stations.
• Total costs are estimated at half a billion Czech crowns.