O2 to start underground mobile service in Glasgow

LONDON (Reuters) - Telecoms carrier O2 will start a limited program giving underground rail passengers access to mobile signals in Glasgow later this year, one of the first such services to be offered in Britain.

Britain trails other European and especially Asian nations in offering mobile access to underground train passengers and O2 said the Glasgow system could be a precursor to similar services being offered elsewhere in Britain, including London.

The service, due to begin in December, will initially be confined to five of the busiest stations and platforms in the Scottish city's subway system, but may later be extended to include other stations and the trains themselves.

The metro system in the northern English city of Newcastle, which is partly above ground, has offered underground mobile services for years.

Phil Kendall, wireless analyst at research firm Strategy Analytics, said the move to offer more underground mobile access in Britain was long overdue.

"We're definitely a little behind the curve," he said. "Commuters are a pretty good market in terms of extra use, so there's definitely good revenue potential."

O2's Glasgow service will use an antenna system provided by British broadcast and mobile technology group Arqiva. It will allow third-generation services such as video, Internet access and multi-media messaging as well as voice calls and texts.

Local transport authority Strathclyde Partnership for Transport said the deal opened the door for wider WiFi coverage in the underground network in future.

(Reporting by Georgina Prodhan; Editing by David Holmes)