Tyne Tunnel

Shared Access, working with the mobile operator O2 as the anchor tenant, identified the need to improve connectivity throughout the tunnel to ensure consistent mobile connectivity throughout a vehicle’s entire journey.

Tunnels are historically tough locations to get a phone signal. Traditional masts provide coverage outdoors to locations that can be seen – tunnels by their nature are underground, compact and often have lots of twists and turns that all stop existing outdoor signals from penetrating inside.

The Tyne Tunnel is no different. Originally opened in 1967, the seven miles of tunnels connect the town of Jarrow with North Shields and Howden. The traffic that passes through the tunnel allows vehicles both a way in and out of Newcastle. Over 40,000 vehicles travel through the Tyne Tunnel every day – that’s over 14,000,000 vehicles a year.

The project began and was completed in 2017. Since its completion, additional mobile operators, Vodafone and EE, signed up to join the infrastructure, ensuring that their customers have robust coverage when passing through the tunnel. No more dropping coverage – this access to mobile connectivity guaranteed mobile travellers a seamless commute.

Chris Jackman, CEO, Shared Access: “What we provide to the public is consistent connectivity. That has always been the aim with all of our projects, to enable people with mobile wireless coverage wherever they are. Our project at Tyne Tunnel echoes our mentality – we saw an opportunity to help a community in ensuring that their visitors were always connected, even when on the go.”

Brendan O’Reilly, Chief Technology Officer, O2: “We were delighted to have worked with Shared Access on this project. It was challenging but incredibly important to ensure that the Tyne Tunnel had the necessary connectivity to service thousands of customers each day.”