TORONTO – The rollout of 5G cellular service in Toronto's subway system has faced significant delays due to asbestos cleanup, limited work hours, and other complications related to the transit infrastructure. According to the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC), staff have indicated that Rogers Communications Inc. will likely miss a federally mandated deadline at the end of this month.
A report detailing updates on major TTC projects is scheduled for discussion at a Toronto Transit Commission board meeting next Wednesday. This report reveals that the 5G implementation by Rogers is at risk of missing important targets. However, the cited issues stem primarily from the transit system's conditions rather than any shortcomings in Rogers' efforts.
Currently, while some sections of the subway system have already activated 5G service, including the most crowded segments located in downtown Toronto, the project continues to face challenges in other tunnel areas. In 2023, the federal government set conditions for Rogers and other service providers operating on the Rogers-owned network, mandating that mobile voice, text, and data services be made available in 80 percent of subway tunnels by December 2025, with complete coverage expected by the following year.
The TTC's updated projections indicate that 70 percent of the tunnel installation will be completed by the end of this year, with an anticipated 88 percent completion by the end of 2026. The commission expects the overall project to finalize by the second quarter of 2027. The delays are largely attributed to various maintenance issues, which have forced the TTC to reallocate work cars and resources towards essential repair tasks.
Furthermore, the report mentions that the working conditions for Rogers have been "constrained," as work can only be performed during narrow time windows overnight and on weekends to reduce disruption for subway passengers. Cancellations of scheduled subway closures have hindered the timeline for necessary “installation and abatement activities” in the tunnels.
Asbestos removal, essential before any equipment installation can begin from Eglinton to York Mills stations and from Dundas West to Lansdowne stations, has also faced setbacks. Rogers has referred inquiries about these project delays back to the TTC. A spokesperson for the TTC declined to provide further commentary on the report or elaborate on the reasons for the setbacks.
The project commenced in April 2023 when Rogers acquired the cellular network serving the subway from BAI Canada, promising to enhance existing infrastructure that previously only served Freedom Mobile customers since 2015 and extend it across the subway network. Later that year, Rogers reached an agreement with Bell Canada and Telus Corp., ensuring that customers of those companies could also access the wireless network, after experiencing tense negotiations and public disputes between the entities. Bell and Telus preferred a joint operational model for the TTC's mobile network, similar to that implemented in Montreal's Metro, rather than the licensing fee approach proposed by Rogers.
By late 2023, the wireless network had become accessible to passengers at all subway stations, including downtown tunnels linking St. George, Bloor-Yonge, and Union stations, and on Line 1 from Sheppard West to Vaughan Metropolitan Centre stations. This spring, Rogers announced the activation of cellular service on Line 2 between Kipling and Islington stations as well as Keele and Dundas West stations, marking new coverage areas as part of the project's progression.
Rogers has continued to roll out 5G service as sections of the network have been completed, including on Line 1 from Dupont to St. George stations and from St. Clair to Davisville stations, alongside nine additional stretches on Line 2. However, work on activating cellular service on Line 4 has yet to commence.
In September 2023, the federal government articulated its requirements as part of new spectrum licence conditions, including definitive deadlines for the 5G project. A spokesperson for Industry Minister Mélanie Joly did not respond to inquiries concerning the TTC's revised timeline projections.
The TTC report outlines the next steps for the project, which include continued equipment installation at track level, collaboration with Rogers on station installations and asbestos removal, as well as support for testing within the tunnels as work progresses.
