Garbage, rats and cell service -- Verizon LTE now available in NYC subway
If you ever visit New York City, you must ride the subway. Even if you do not need it for transportation, it is an essential part of the overall experience. It is a magical experience too -- a mix of garbage, roaming rats and homeless people sleeping. While this sounds terrible, and maybe it is, it is strangely comforting for native New Yorkers. You see, it is expected and it is delivered without failure.
However, there is something about the subway that is undisputedly frustrating and unpleasant to natives and tourists alike -- lack of cellular service, including mobile data. Once you head into the deepest depths of the city, 3G and 4G LTE can disappear faster than one of the previously mentioned rats when a train approaches. Luckily for the Big Apple, Verizon has delivered LTE to the subway.
"At Verizon Wireless, we have a long track record of investing to provide customers the best possible service. Since 2000, we have invested more than $4.5 billion into our wireless network across the New York Metropolitan Region. The addition of Verizon Wireless voice and data services to these New York City subway stations will only further enhance our customers' mobile experience", says Patrick Devlin, regional president for Verizon Wireless.
Verizon Wireless further explains that this will allow "millions more New Yorkers and visitors to stay in touch with friends and family while in subway stations and on platforms, but also provides the ability to dial 911 in an emergency. A critical security improvement, E911 allows dispatchers to know when a call is being placed from an underground platform and direct emergency personnel to the approximate location where the call was made".
In other words, while this will allow subway riders to access email and text message their friends from the station, it is much more important than that. Access to 911 will keep riders safer, while helping the police crack down on crime.
The following stations will have access to Verizon's network:
| 1 | 5th Ave | N·R·W | ||||
| 2 | 57th St | N·R·Q·W | ||||
| 3 | 49th St | N·R·W | ||||
| 4 | Times Square | N·R·Q·W | ||||
| 5 | 28th St | R·W | ||||
| 6 | 23rd St | R·W | ||||
| 7 | 96th St | B·C | ||||
| 8 | 86th St | B·C | ||||
| 9 | 81st St | B·C | ||||
| 10 | 72nd St | B·C | ||||
| 11 | 59th St Columbus Circle | A·B·C·D | ||||
| 12 | 50th St | C·E | ||||
| 13 | 42nd St Times Square | A·C·E | ||||
| 14 | 57th St | F | ||||
| 15 | 50th St Rockefeller Center | B·D·F·V | ||||
| 16 | 5th Ave | E·V | ||||
| 17 | 7th Ave | B·D·E | ||||
| 18 | 96th St | 1·2·3 | ||||
| 19 | 86th St | 1 | ||||
| 20 | 79th St | 1 | ||||
| 21 | 72nd St | 1·2·3 | ||||
| 22 | 66th St Lincoln Center | 1 | ||||
| 23 | 59th St Columbus Circle | 1 | ||||
| 24 | 50th St | 1 | ||||
| 25 | Times Square | 1·2·3 | ||||
| 26 | 28th St | 1 | ||||
| 27 | 23rd St | 1 | ||||
| 28 | 18th St | 1 | ||||
| 29 | Times Square | 7 | ||||
| 30 | Times Square | SHUTTLE | ||||
| 31 | 34th St Herald Square | M·N·R·Q | ||||
| 32 | 42nd St Bryant Park | B·D·F·M | ||||
| 33 | 34th St Herald Square | B·D·F·M·N·Q·R | ||||
| 34 | 28th St | 6 | ||||
| 35 | 5th Ave Bryant Park | 7 |
Are you excited about this? Tell me in the comments.
Image Credit: Cathy Keifer / Shutterstock