Channel Tunnel to get mobile phone coverage

[John Ashworth]

Bad news...

Channel Tunnel to get mobile phone coverage

One of the pleasures of travelling through the Channel Tunnel is — for some passengers at least — the brief respite that it gives from the sound of people chattering on their mobile phones. But not for long.

Telegraph
By Peter Allen 10:00PM GMT 02 Mar 2012

From July, those who feel lost without a handset permanently attached to their ear will be able to get a signal 250ft under the sea bed. Eurotunnel, which manages the 23-mile link between Folkestone and Calais, has announced a deal with telecoms providers after a French technology group worked out how to link the tunnel with mobile signals.

It raises the all-too inevitable prospect of a chorus of passengers shouting out, “Hello darling, I’m in the Channel Tunnel!” throughout the 20-minute journey between Folkestone and Calais.

A spokesman for the French industry ministry said that the new “3G and 2G enabled” system would go live in July, in time for the London Oympics.

A official signing of the agreement between Eurotunnel and four mobile operators is due to take place later this month, in the presence of Éric Besson, the French industry minister.

Like airliners, the Channel Tunnel has, since it opened in 1994, been one of the few places where people can forget about using their phones for a few minutes, but new technology is changing that. In France, mobiles can be used on the deepest parts of the Paris Metro, but the French generally have a more respectful attitude towards their use than the British.

Those making calls on high-speed trains tend to leave their carriage and keep their phone on silent when surrounded by other passengers.

Eurostar staff already make announcements asking mobile phone users to show consideration for others.