The Globe and Mail reports in its Monday edition that in 2001, Toronto Transit Commission staff began to investigate whether to install cellphone network access in subway tunnels. A Globe editorial says that starting in October, all TTC riders will finally be able to use their phones underground ... for part of the ride. As belated as the TTC's landmark is, it will only be achieved through federal intervention. Industry Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne had to step in last week to break through the impasse that had kept most Toronto cellphone users disconnected. Toronto created the competitive conditions for those players to turn on each other, to the detriment of customers. Ottawa's intervention is appropriate, but it did not need to be this way. Montreal's subway, which has been fully wired since 2020, shows a much better route for cities and private partners to work together. In Montreal, Metro's operator in 2013 invited Bell, Rogers, Telus and Videotron to form a consortium and the four companies split the $50-million cost. Over the next seven years, cellular access came on-line in stages. By December of 2020, all 68 stations and 71 kilometres of track were fully connected for customers of all four carriers.