Cell Service Expands at 20 Metrorail Stations Today

One of the few things I miss about my Treo is that my iPhone has zero reception while I'm on the subway. As of today, it looks like that will change:

By midnight Friday, the long-awaited expansion of cellphone service at Metro stations will mean riders who use the three other nationwide carriers will join Verizon users in having service at 20 of the busiest underground platforms, officials said Thursday.

Riders who use AT&T, Sprint Nextel and T-Mobile will be able to make calls, send text messages or surf the Web from those 20 station platforms. Officials cautioned Thursday that initial service will be available only when riders are on the platforms. They will lose it once they step on a train and move into the tunnels.

Eventually, service will expand to anywhere inside the station. By the end of November, officials said they expect that the 20 stations will have continuous coverage from street to platform.

Of course, there are some benefits to no reception while in the tunnels. That guarantees you're not stuck sitting next to someone talking loudly on their cell phone. Still, the data access would be cool.

(HT Dad)