Wireless coverage to be available in Boston tunnels

BOSTON-The four national wireless carriers have agreed on a plan to help shoulder the cost of providing wireless service in Boston’s Big Dig tunnels, so that drivers will not have their cell-phone conversations interrupted.
According to documents filed with the Massachusetts Turnpike Authority, the negotiations to provide mobile coverage in the tunnels have been going on for several years.
The Boston Globe reported that Cingular Wireless L.L.C., Sprint Nextel Corp., T-Mobile USA Inc. and Verizon Wireless have agreed to split the cost of providing coverage, which includes a $1.57 million initial access fee and an additional $140,000 annually. Construction and installation costs estimated at no more than $7.6 million and operating and management costs of no more than $100,000 per year, will also be split.