Glasgow underground passengers can now go mobile

Commuters are able to make mobile phone calls while travelling on Glasgow tube

The rollout of a mobile network that allows Glasgow commuters to use their mobile phones while travelling on the underground has been completed.

Led by the Strathclyde Partnership for Transport, the multi-user distributed antenna system has been fully operational since 1 January.

The introduction of underground mobile access is also intended to help attract firms considering setting up offices in the city's International Financial Services District (IFSD), the Glasgow equivalent of London's Canary Wharf.

The efficiency of more than 30,000 workers based at IFSD should be improved with the new service, according to Jim Watson, director of innovation agency Scottish Enterprise.

"Whereas commuters to Canary Wharf have to put their lives on hold when taking to the Tube, the thousands of people from across the world who work in Glasgow's IFSD can now make calls, send texts, email and access mobile internet while on subway station concourses and platforms across the city," he said.

"The City Council and Scottish Enterprise worked with businesses to establish what they need to improve their commercial competitiveness, and state-of-the-art mobile communications is one of the key requirements for modern employers."