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Century-old tunnels block signals, so Boldyn is wiring 418 miles for full coverage by around 2030.
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It's 2025, and your phone still drops to zero bars the moment the train leaves the station. That dead air between stops isn't a glitch. It's the reality of century-old infrastructure catching up with modern expectations.
The MTA's long-promised fix (full cell and Wi-Fi coverage through all 418 miles of subway tunnels) is underway, but far from done. The agency's partner, Boldyn Networks, is funding and installing the system under a roughly $600 million agreement. A handful of lines already have service, but full coverage isn't expected until around 2030.
Why so slow? The subway wasn't built for wireless. Steel-lined tunnels block signals completely, so crews have to install antennas and fiber by hand during overnight maintenance windows. Add in safety protocols and financing coordination, and progress moves at subway speed.
Other cities (London, Hong Kong, Seoul) lit their tunnels years ago. New York is catching up the way it always does: slowly, expensively, and through compromise. The good news? Once it's done, you'll scroll all the way from Canal Street to 125th without panic. The bad news? It'll be a while.
Published October 8, 2025
Mark Okafor is a contributor for Tunnel Vision.
This article is part of the Connectivity series.