4G wireless coming to CTA subways later this year

Smartphone service dead spots could be a thing of the past for thousands of daily Chicago Transit Authority riders in Blue and Red Line tunnels, under a $32.5 million deal.

The 20-year agreement calls for four major wireless providers to pay for the installation, operation and maintenance of the latest-generation 4G communications technology, starting on the Blue Line to accommodate travelers going between O'Hare International Airport and downtown. T-Mobile, Sprint, AT&T and Verizon are banking on strong revenue growth from wireless broadband, because data usage is increasingly overtaking voice as the primary source of traffic on mobile networks. T-Mobile, AT&T, Verizon and Sprint will pay for the entire upgrade related to the design and construction of a distributed antenna system capable of supporting 4G wireless networks and mobile devices, officials said.