The wait for Namma Metro commuters to use their mobile phones in the underground section of the Purple Line just got longer. Technical difficulties in installing cables in the tunnels and at stations have blocked attempts to offer mobile connectivity by October, which was the initial target set by the Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation (BMRCL) for itself.
Metro services in the underground section between M.G. Road and Magadi Road stations began at the end of April this year. The end-to-end connectivity provided by the Purple line was welcomed by passengers who began using the Metro in earnest for daily travel. However, five months after services started, the issue of being able to use phones for calls or browsing remains unsolved.
BMRCL called bids from operators to install the necessary infrastructure for mobile connectivity, including ‘leaky’ cables which allow for mobile phone signals to reach phones within the stations and in the tunnels, in June this year. However, with limited time allowed for work on the project and problems with access to the tunnels, work is yet to begin in earnest and might take till the end of the year.
“The contractors can access the tunnels in the night between midnight and 4 a.m on two days a week when there is a power block. Other days, the Metro might not be functional in the night but maintenance work is carried out by the Metro staff,” a senior BMRCL official said.
For the contractors, this meant re-working the plan to fit the new schedule. This new plan has now been submitted to BMRCL, which will approve the time slots for the cable laying work in the coming week. “It is only after this that work can begin in earnest,” the official said.
