This news article was originally published by Fierce Network on 4 May 2026. See the original article here.

New York City’s subway system is one of the most demanding communications environments in the world. Millions of riders move through tunnels, platforms and stations every day, expecting seamless connectivity throughout their commute.   

Delivering that level of connectivity requires more than infrastructure alone. It demands long‑term investment, careful coordination, and trusted partnerships built to support a transit system that operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week. 

That’s where the collaboration between AT&T and Boldyn Networks (Boldyn) comes into play. Working together, they have expanded AT&T cellular service across the New York City Subway system, most recently adding coverage in additional tunnel segments of the 4/5 lines and the Crosstown G line. AT&T is the first and currently the only carrier to connect and go fully on-air between these segments. These expansions help close coverage gaps and bring the system closer to continuous underground connectivity. 

Boldyn’s broader effort to extend connectivity across the entire subway system is well underway, with a phased rollout of a 5G distributed antenna system (DAS). Today, riders with major mobile carrier cell service have connectivity in the 42nd Street Shuttle tunnel and the L line’s Canarsie Tube, with major mobile carrier cell service and Wi Fi available in all underground stations. These milestones reflect steady progress toward a fully connected subway, delivering seamless connectivity across stations, platforms, and tunnels, so riders stay connected throughout their journey.

Why connectivity now defines the transit experience 

From streaming content and staying productive to texting family and navigating the city, public transit riders rely on connectivity throughout their commute. As expectations rise, transit agencies increasingly treat wireless infrastructure as a core component of the rider experience, raising the bar for how connectivity must be designed, built, and operated at a system‑wide level. 

Delivering connectivity underground is uniquely complex in always-on transit systems like the New York City Subway. Dense infrastructure, aging tunnels, tight spaces, and constant service demands require shared infrastructure models, long-term operational support, and close collaboration between carriers, transit authorities, and infrastructure providers. 

A shared model built for a system‑wide network 

At the core of this effort is a shared model designed to support connectivity. This collaboration enables a reliable and growing network across one of the most challenging wireless environments in the world, moving the system closer to true end‑to‑end connectivity. 

Boldyn designs, deploys and operates the neutral host infrastructure across the transit environment, while AT&T deploys and integrates its network equipment to connect to that infrastructure and deliver reliable service across the system. FirstNet®, Built with AT&T is the only network built with and for America’s first responders. And through FirstNet, public safety personnel have always-on 5G priority and preemption to help them communicate and coordinate during emergencies across New York City. 

Achieving connectivity at this scale requires sustained investment. AT&T’s recent $250 billion commitment to network infrastructure reinforces its focus on expanding connectivity in high‑impact environments, including transportation systems. Combined with Boldyn’s infrastructure expertise, this long‑term carrier investment enables continued planning, deployment, and operational support across complex environments like New York City.  

Transit connectivity is not a one‑time deployment, it is an ongoing effort that depends on partnerships aligned around long‑term commitment and shared responsibility. 

A collaborative model for cities like New York 

The work underway in New York reflects a broader shift in how cities approach transit connectivity. As agencies invest in wireless infrastructure across transit systems, venues, and public spaces, this long-term partnership model helps define what it takes to deliver connectivity at scale. 

Together, AT&T and Boldyn demonstrate how shared infrastructure and carrier investment can support reliable service across even the most complex environments. By combining neutral host deployment with nationwide network capabilities, the model offers a foundation other cities can build on as they modernize their transit systems. 

As connectivity expands across additional subway tunnels and transit environments, the goal remains simple: ensure riders stay connected from the moment they enter the system to the moment they reach their destination.