COMMUTERS in underground MRT trains will soon be able to enjoy smoother chats and faster surfing speeds with the telcos upgrading their underground mobile networks to support 3G.

The high-speed third-generation (3G) cellular networks will be available at all the 16 train stations on the North-East Line (NEL) by next month.

Since September, contractors appointed by M1, SingTel and StarHub have been working through the night in NEL tunnels to upgrade equipment such as antenna and signal repeaters at the wholly-underground subway line which runs from HarbourFront through to Punggol.

The 3G network, which first came to Singapore four years ago, allows faster surfing speeds on mobile phones and laptops so users can watch movies, surf the Internet or download e-mails without any hitches.

Because of its ability to handle larger call and data loads, it can also support more people making calls at the same time, and helps prevent dropped calls.

The NEL project, which costs somewhere in the region of $4 million, is slated to finish by next month, said a spokesman from Andrew, the communications equipment company which is designing and installing the system.

Similar upgrading work has also started in SMRT train tunnels.

StarHub's corporate communications manager Cassie Fong said the upgrade of the three telcos' shared mobile infrastructure at the North-South and East-West lines will be completed next year.

MRT commuters in Singapore have been making do with slower 2G speeds - which do not fully support the capabilities of 3G phones such as the Apple iPhone and most of the newer phones released in the last two years.

In this regard, Singapore is slower to install underground infrastructure to support these 3G networks, unlike places such as Japan, Korea and Hong Kong, which have already done so.

In Singapore, 3G networks already cover over 99 per cent of the island although underground MRT stations currently still fall into the area that has no coverage.

3G allows surfing speeds which are at least 10 times faster than 2G.

The upgrade in the MRT tunnels will also improve mobile signal coverage underground. This is done by ensuring a more even distribution of mobile signals in the tunnels with repeaters. This equipment repeats the signals required for phones to connect to operator's networks. When these signals are weak, phones can lose connection.

The new networks should also be able to handle more users and activities simultaneously, since 3G networks can transmit more data than 2G networks over a given bandwidth.

The net effect is this could mean less dropped calls for those chatting underground. And for those surfing the Internet, it also means that webpages and e-mails can be downloaded faster.

Surfing on the go is becoming more popular with about 3.3 million wireless broadband users here.

yuenc@sph.com.sg

This story was first published in The Straits Times on 17 November 2008.

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