When Sprint finally releases the iPhone 5, complete with unlimited data it appears that New York customers will have a little more peace of mind. For decades now, those who rely on getting back and forth on the New York subway have had to put up with the fact that the area was a “no signal” zone. It appears that has finally changed. For the first time since cell towers went up all over New York, there will actually be signal bars on your phone when you start taking the trains.

Of course, that does not mean this is the perfect solve. More specifically, there will be certain areas of the subway where people will actually get service, but the range will still be spotty at best. In total, just six subway stations that are on the west side of Manhattan now have coverage. Those who are expecting to go anywhere in the subway system and get coverage are still going to have to wait until at least 2016. Considering that the subway system is going on 100 years, four more years to wait may be a small price to pay.

Of course, while some New Yorkers are more than happy to see the subway system finally getting a technological upgrade, other city dwellers is just shocked it has taken this long. One resident said that he is from Germany and there all the major cities are very high tech. He also pointed out that when it rains, water still drips through the roof of the tunnels in New York. 

Still, other New Yorkers are not remotely happy about the prospect of standing next to someone who is yelling on their phone. Already several websites have printed helpful “tips” which include items like “Yelling does not improve reception.” In a city that never sleeps, getting peace and quiet can be a bit of a chore. Some people in the city are not relishing having what is the relative quiet of the subway ride broken by annoying ringtones or obnoxious conversations.

Another group of New Yorkers has always liked knowing that going into the subway meant they were able to get away from the outside world for a while. Those people are already feeling a bit of nostalgia for the days when there was no prospect of making a phone call, down there.