Thanks to an agreement between Eurotunnel and two UK operators, British passengers will soon be able use their mobile devices for the first time while travelling through the tunnel.

French customers have been getting signals on the France-UK link since 2012 – through services offered by Bouygues, Orange and SFR – but the 10-year agreement signed by UK’s EE and Vodafone with Eurotunnel (which operates the tunnel) will now see British customers enjoy the same benefits as they travel to mainland Europe.

Under the terms of the deal, customers of both operators will have access to 2G and 3G services in the North tunnel (UK to France) in March.

According to Financial Times, EE and Vodafone intend to offer 4G to tunnel passengers in the summer.

Despite the technical challenges emphasised in the press release – mobile services are delivered 100 metres below sea level – EE and Vodafone claim call quality will be equivalent to that experienced on land.

The FT reports the two operators will need to invest more than £5 million in additional infrastructure to connect to the tunnel network. Additional funding is to be provided by Eurotunnel.

Eurotunnel carries 20 million passengers every year, the overwhelming majority – about four in every five – travelling from Britain.

3 and Telefonica, the UK’s two other network operators, have reportedly been asked to become involved. It’s not yet clear, however, when that will be.