By Jordan Heller
DNAinfo Reporter/Producer
MANHATTAN — Straphangers who suffer from WiFi and cell phone withdrawal rejoiced on Monday with news that they would soon be able to log on and tune out during their underground commutes.
AT&T Inc. and T-Mobile USA have both signed ten-year agreements with Transit Wireless, the company charged with building a wireless network in the New York City subway system, reported the Wall Street Journal's Metropolis blog.
Transit Wireless will begin building the network later this year and hopes to have six Manhattan stations wired as early as 2011, according to the blog. The rest of the subway system will take up to an additional four years.
Other carriers will soon follow, the company told the Journal.
"The network is designed and planned to carry many carriers. Our aim is too have discussions with other carriers to see if they are interested parties in coming on to this network," said Transit Wireless chief executive Chris Jaeger, according to the blog.
Transit Wireless will pay the MTA $46 million over ten years to run the network, according to WSJ.
