10 September 2008
Commuters travelling on Glasgow's underground train network will soon be able to use their mobile phones while on platforms. Mobile phone operator O2 has announced that from December, subway travellers will be able to make calls and send and receive texts from some stations. These will be Buchanan Street, St Enoch, Kelvinbridge, Hillhead and Partick - five of 15 stations on the circular subway route which carries passengers across the River Clyde. Derek McManus, chief technology officer at O2, said: "This new technology will enable customers to make calls, send and receive text messages and access a host of data services while on the subway platform." O2 confirmed that if the Glasgow project is successful it may roll out underground mobile phone services at various stations on the London Underground network. Passengers on the Tyne and Wear Metro system - which runs through Newcastle, Gateshead and Sunderland - can already use their mobile phones while on platforms and trains.