T-Mobile Expands MBTA Wireless Service to Blue and Green Lines Throughout Boston

• Red Line: Park Street, Downtown Crossing, South Station, Broadway and Andrew
• Orange Line: Massachusetts Avenue, Back Bay, Chinatown, Tufts New England Medical Center, Downtown Crossing, State Street, Haymarket and North Station
• Blue Line: Bowdoin, Government Center, State Street, New England Aquarium and Maverick
• Green Line: Kenmore, Hynes Convention Center/ICA, Copley, Arlington, Boylston, Park Street, Government Center, Haymarket and North Station

• How service is provided: The distributed antenna system (DAS) acts like a radio tower, with some special adaptations to transmit and receive signals underground. Instead of broadcasting radio signals to cover a broad geographic area from antennas mounted on a tower or building rooftop, the system converts radio signals to light using lasers and carries the signals to remote locations throughout the tunnels and stations on fiber-optic cable. Equipment at the remote locations converts the light signal back to radio, amplifies it and transmits it through an antenna system. The antenna system includes both antennas and radiating cable. As an analogy, the antennas “spray” radio signal like the stream of water from a nozzle while radiating cable and distributes signal along the length of the tunnels. The system includes 71 remote amplifier locations, 354 antennas and 41,585 feet of radiating cable. Subscribers’ phones, smartphones, PDAs and wireless modems communicate with the underground antennas to complete phone calls and data sessions. InSite provides the backbone infrastructure for the DAS; the carriers connect their equipment to the system head-end and are responsible for the signal provided to the DAS.
• Where coverage is provided: The InSite DAS provides continuous service in stations and in trains as they pass through underground tunnels. Callers can place a call above ground, carry it underground, and continue the call until they finish underground or return back above ground and keep talking all the while. In addition to voice calls, the system supports texting and data services for email and Web browsing, as well as smartphone applications.
• How the network is monitored and improved: InSite’s DAS Network Operations Center monitors system operations, provides remote diagnostics and reports alarms. The system, as built, will support all current wireless technologies and may be easily upgraded to add future services as they are developed. 

Today, T-Mobile USA, Inc. announced, in partnership with the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) and InSite Wireless LLC, new wireless service on the Blue and Green lines of The T subway system in Boston, including stations serving Hynes Convention Center, Fenway Park, TD Garden, Copley Square, Boston Public Library, New England Aquarium, Boston Common and Boston Public Garden.

Starting today, T-Mobile customers can utilize wireless service on the Green Line extending from Park Street to Kenmore Station and the Blue Line from the Financial District’s State Street Station to New England Aquarium, the Boston Harbor to Maverick, and leading to Logan Airport MBTA station. With the expansion, T-Mobile has nearly doubled its underground service to 13 miles of coverage and 26 underground stops on The T station platforms and coaches, including the following stations:

• Red Line: Park Street, Downtown Crossing, South Station, Broadway and Andrew
• Orange Line: Massachusetts Avenue, Back Bay, Chinatown, Tufts New England Medical Center, Downtown Crossing, State Street, Haymarket and North Station
• Blue Line: Bowdoin, Government Center, State Street, New England Aquarium and Maverick
• Green Line: Kenmore, Hynes Convention Center/ICA, Copley, Arlington, Boylston, Park Street, Government Center, Haymarket and North Station

T-Mobile first brought service to The T in 2007 and will continue to partner with InSite Wireless and the MBTA to expand service to the remaining subway lines.

"Our customers want to stay connected wherever they go — and now their conversations, texts and Web use doesn't have to end when they travel underground in Boston,” said John Diefenbach, vice president and general manager, New England region, T-Mobile USA. "With our latest investment in our Boston network, we are continuing to bring more value to our 1 million local customers."

“We are excited to continue to partner with the MBTA and T-Mobile to expand wireless coverage in the subway for Boston commuters,” said David E. Weisman, president and CEO, InSite Wireless. “By working with the MBTA and T-Mobile, we are able to continue to make Boston a technological hub and provide state-of-the-art connectivity to residents and visitors alike.”

MBTA T-Mobile Customer Network Usage and Local Investment

Customers today make over 25,000 phone calls per day underground and are using a total of 40 gigabytes of data per day. From a public safety perspective, customers have made more than 8,800 911 emergency calls in the subway network over the past year.

In addition to the 13 miles of The T now covered, T-Mobile provides 4G service above ground with over 1,200 cell sites in the Boston/Providence area. T-Mobile’s fastest 4G service (HSPA+ 42) is available in the majority of the Boston area, including landmarks such as Faneuil Hall, Government Center, Boston Common, New England Aquarium and many more locations.

T-Mobile currently operates America’s Largest 4G Network^™, reaching well over 200 million people in 225 markets, and it recently announced it will invest $4 billion over the next few years in additional coverage improvements and to launch LTE services in 2013.

T-Mobile customers can visit www.T-Mobile.com/pcc to find more details on network coverage in the area.

Underground Subway Wireless Service — How It Works

• How service is provided: The distributed antenna system (DAS) acts like a radio tower, with some special adaptations to transmit and receive signals underground. Instead of broadcasting radio signals to cover a broad geographic area from antennas mounted on a tower or building rooftop, the system converts radio signals to light using lasers and carries the signals to remote locations throughout the tunnels and stations on fiber-optic cable. Equipment at the remote locations converts the light signal back to radio, amplifies it and transmits it through an antenna system. The antenna system includes both antennas and radiating cable. As an analogy, the antennas “spray” radio signal like the stream of water from a nozzle while radiating cable and distributes signal along the length of the tunnels. The system includes 71 remote amplifier locations, 354 antennas and 41,585 feet of radiating cable. Subscribers’ phones, smartphones, PDAs and wireless modems communicate with the underground antennas to complete phone calls and data sessions. InSite provides the backbone infrastructure for the DAS; the carriers connect their equipment to the system head-end and are responsible for the signal provided to the DAS.
• Where coverage is provided: The InSite DAS provides continuous service in stations and in trains as they pass through underground tunnels. Callers can place a call above ground, carry it underground, and continue the call until they finish underground or return back above ground and keep talking all the while. In addition to voice calls, the system supports texting and data services for email and Web browsing, as well as smartphone applications.
• How the network is monitored and improved: InSite’s DAS Network Operations Center monitors system operations, provides remote diagnostics and reports alarms. The system, as built, will support all current wireless technologies and may be easily upgraded to add future services as they are developed.