Gautrain to get underground cell signals

2012-12-04 09:12

Gautrain (Sapa)

Johannesburg - Cellphone signals at all subterranean Gautrain stations will be available to passengers by the middle of 2014.

An agreement has been signed with all cellphone service providers to allow them to provide comprehensive cellphone services to Gautrain passengers by July 2014, Beeld reported on Tuesday.

Ismael Vadi, Gauteng transport MEC, said cellphone reception would be phased in gradually, in three technical steps.

Step one would be enabling voice communication at all stations by June 2013.

Phase two would be reception in the tunnel by December 2013, while reception on the whole route would be up and running by July 2014.

Krishna Chetty, manager of radio planning and optimisation at MTN SA, said they and other service providers had been in discussions with the Gautrain's technical management team about the issue for some time.

Provisional tests had already been done to determine exactly how services would be provided to customers.

"If all parties agree on the details, comprehensive reception should be available by December 2014," Chetty said.

- SAPA