
Officials at the transit agency said the problem stemmed from AT&T shutting off its 2G wireless cellular network, which the NextBus system relies on to transmit data.
Officials at the transit agency said the problem stemmed from AT&T shutting off its 2G wireless cellular network, which the NextBus system relies on to transmit data.
In collaboration with its alliance member Hitachi, AT&T will be deploying public safety solutions, including remote monitoring and more efficient operations solutions for police and public safety officials and reliable data to help inform decision making around urban transportation planning.
The lack of cell phone coverage was exposed most recently after the Jan. 12 smoke incident at L’Enfant Plaza when passengers aboard Yellow Line train No. 302 struggled to connect to 911 as smoke filled the railcars just a few hundred feet south of the station platform.
T-Mobile, AT&T, Verizon and Sprint have collectively agreed to fund the entire upgrade related to the design and construction of a next-generation Distributed Antenna System capable of supporting the latest 4G wireless networks and mobile devices on the Chicago Transit Authority's system.
To increase transparency and to give developers new forms of data to work with, the MTA is releasing four new sets of raw data. App developers will be able to use the new data and merge it with existing data to create apps that have never been seen before.
Top apps selected use innovation and real-time data to improve transit guides, connect riders with subway artists and aid blind and visually impaired.
Participants are competing for $40,000 in prize money to support the development of the apps that best help riders access the MTA’s subway, railroads, buses, bridges and tunnels.
Commuters are able to send a text to a short code and receive the latest information on when the next bus will depart or possible delays incurred along certain routes.
Verizon Wireless, Sprint Nextel, AT&T and T-Mobile will build, operate, maintain and own the new wireless network. The firms also will build a second wireless network, which Metro will use for public safety and operational communications.
Installation and testing of AT&T's base equipment - comprised of amplifiers, transmitters and receivers - within the subway will take place over the next several months.