Toronto residents have been thrilled to find that they can now access wireless service while riding the city's subway, an amenity the public has long been asking for, especially in light of recent safety concerns.

While the infrastructure has been ready to go for some time and talks of such a rollout have been ongoing for years, Rogers launched the first phase of its 5G service on portions of the TTC's underground system just last week.

Of course, the main drawback is that only those riders with plans from the Big 3 telecom will be able to use the network freely, though everyone, regardless of carrier, can call 911 in covered areas.

It's a big detail that caused a lot of backlash when Rogers acquired the exclusive rights to the tunnels a few months ago, and it is sparking more criticism of the company this week, especially from competitors.

I don't use Bell, Telus or the TTC. If Rogers got something done well, that must be a good thing for some riders.

— Arpad Csorba (@arpad_csorba) August 29, 2023

Bell and Telus, the two only other major players in Canada's telecommunications game, have now called their rival out for "refusing to meet with other mobility providers or grant roaming access" and overstepping the formal consultation process for all three to come to an agreement that adheres to federal directives.

Regulations state that telecoms have to provide others with a level of access to their networks, which Rogers says it is doing with the new, enhanced 911 capabilities for non-Rogers transitgoers.

hilarious that Bell and Telus have nerve to say Rogers is effecting the 'safety ' of their customers not letting them use infrastructure Rogers paid millions for their customers for data on the TTC. Rogers offers free 911 access to all providers. They didn't invest.. tough..

— Tiffany (@tiffanycanada) August 23, 2023

The company also says Bell and Telus have been sluggish in the necessary negotiations, and thus it believed the best course of action was to provide any sort of additional service ASAP instead of waiting for a deal to be reached.

And, despite the fact that some users are bitter that they themselves don't have full service on the subway, it seems most people agree that something for some is better than nothing for anyone at this point, even if the deal may not have been fair or above board.

Poor babies crying over who can rip off the public first.

— ElectrifiedPorcupine (@elecporcupine) August 29, 2023

"I hate Rogers and all the big telcos... but I'm ok with this," one person wrote in a Reddit thread on the subject. "I think it was the right move, like for f***'s sake, get something going... if we have to keep waiting for consultations and studies and all that, it's only hurting consumers more. Unfair? Playing games? Maybe, but it's better than what we had."

"I loathe Rogers but the other two now complaining because their customers are left out is ludicrous," another added. "It's been 10 years since a deal for wireless on the TTC was struck. They've had 10 years to put something in and they steadfastly refused."

Rogers plans to expand and upgrade its new subterranean service over the next two years.