AT&T enhances wireless coverage along NYC MTA subway line via Boldyn partnership

The Joralemon Street tunnel is the oldest underwater subway tunnel in New York City, and its 1.1-mile stretch connects the 4 and 5 lines between Manhattan and Brooklyn. In addition, the crosstown G runs through some of the most popular and vibrant places in Brooklyn and Queens, providing a critical connection to Manhattan-bound trains.

With these activations combined, AT&T riders can get enhanced cellular coverage on the 4/5 lines between Borough Hall and Fulton Street stations, and on the G line between Court Square and Hoyt-Schermerhorn Streets stations.

“Working closely with Boldyn Networks, we’re expanding reliable 5G connectivity underground and improving the rider experience in the nation’s largest transit system,” said John Emra, president, Northeast, AT&T.

Neutral wireless hosts like Boldyn are third-party providers that build, own, and operate shared cellular or Wi-Fi infrastructure (such as DAS or small cells) in a venue, leasing access to multiple mobile network operators (MNOs).

This model means that each wireless operator does not need to install separate equipment, reducing costs and energy consumption while enhancing in-building and outdoor coverage.

“One of the advantages of this neutral host or independent infrastructure we put down there is that it is put down once for all carriers,” Ranger said. “It is being built for everyone, so as technology changes, that work can be done on the outside data centers, whereas the physical infrastructure is once and done in the tunnels.”

Decade-long journey

Boldyn’s work with AT&T may be the latest headline, but its work to enhance wireless service in New York City has been a 10-plus-year journey.

The neutral host provider has a well-established relationship with the MTA in New York.  

Between 2012 and 2017, Boldyn and its predecessor companies rolled out wireless coverage to all New York City underground stations without coverage.

Ranger said earlier this decade that it began talking to the MTA about how to provide wireless coverage in the tunnels.

“Beginning in the early 2020s, we began discussing in earnest with MTA about extending coverage in the tunnels,” he said. “There was a lot of back and forth on the technical nature and contractual nature, where we arrived at an agreement towards the end of 2022.”

Since 2022, Boldyn has been rolling out service, beginning with the Times Square to Grand Central shuttle line.

Ranger said that the latest announcement illustrates “how we’re extending service across the G Line from Hoyt-Schermerhorn to Port Square and then slowly extending out from the Joralemon tube through Bolling Green, Wall Street, and further up the 4/5 line, and progress continues.”

Navigating train tunnel challenges

While installing equipment inside existing train stations may pose some challenges for Boldyn, entering the city’s underground tunnels brings a different set of issues.

The first issue for Boldyn, or any neutral carrier working inside the train tunnels, is where to locate the necessary wireless radios and fiber-optic cable.

“Within the tunnels, it starts with where to find space to house the equipment because we need to put in an antenna, and our system gets to your cell phone through the train window height,” Ranger said. “Some of the tunnels are hundreds of years old and contain a lot of other equipment, so we had to find space, get permission to put in the equipment.”

He added that coordination on space and permissions “comes before you get into the design from a civil, technical, mechanical, and RF—really space and logistics is where it starts from.”  

Wide spectrum support

For this deployment, Boldyn is installing radio equipment that will support all licensed wireless spectrum bands.

Cellular and Wi-Fi connectivity are also available in all subway stations.

Roughly, the system will support between 600 MHz and 4 GHz of spectrum capacity.

Ranger said the focus is on installing a future-proofed system.

“To put that much capacity down in the tunnels, you need a lot of equipment,” Ranger said. “We want to do this once.”

Boldyn had to install a telecom point of presence roughly every 700 feet, which required running fiber cabling and getting power to the radio electronics.

From there, it installed an inch-and-a-quarter cable at window height, extending in both directions from the electronics.

“Doing all these 700 feet at a time requires a lot of space, equipment, and a lot of installation work,” Ranger said.

All about coordination

As a provider of neutral wireless systems in New York City and other large cities such as San Francisco, Hong Kong, and London, Boldyn encounters similar issues.

However, Ranger noted that some cities, like New York City, come with specific nuances.

“In all the large city deployments we have done, it’s all very similar, but the devil is always in the details,” he said. “What’s unique about New York City’s subway system is that it runs 24/7.”

For Boldyn, it needs to perform its duties when trains are not running, which requires strong coordination with the MTA.

MTA was able to organize with Boldyn when it had to conduct work when a line was not in service. During these periods, MTA would conduct many work activities at once.

“In essence, we’re a piggybacker working around other work underway, whether that’s a new elevator or a rail line signaling upgrade,” Ranger said. “We have to worry about our own logistics, but also working around other groups doing work at the same time, and do it all safely.”

He added to ensure systems like subway wireless are completed within a limited time, “it’s all about how to pace the work and the cadence for a system that’s usable for a customer.” 

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