On the day of the 7 July 2005 London bombings , mobile phone networks , including Vodafone , reached full capacity and were overloaded by 10:00 a.m. , only an hour and ten minutes after the bombs went off . Because of an antiquated radio system , the damaged trains were unable to communicate with the Transport for London control center or emergency personnel , while senior emergency services managers , of the London Ambulance Service in particular , were forced to rely on the already overloaded mobile phone network because of the lack of digital radios . The Access Overload Control , implemented only in a 1 km area around Aldgate Tube Station , was n't helpful because many officials did n't have ACCOLC-enabled mobile phones . In the aftermath , the London Assembly determined the need for a digital radio communications system in London that can operate underground
7 July 2005 London bombings
7 July 2005 London bombings
Emergency communication system