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yesterday

Madrid Activates 1,600 M-30 Tunnel Beacons as Google and Waze Enable In-Tunnel Navigation

Low-power Bluetooth beacons now give phones precise positioning underground for uninterrupted tunnel navigation.

Presentación del nuevo sistema de balizas de la M-30.
Image
La presentación de las nuevas balizas
Parte de los 48 kilómetros de túneles de la M-30

Overview

  • The initial 1,600 battery-powered beacons cover roughly 48 km of the M-30 and are live following a municipal investment of about €140,000–€141,000.
  • Officials plan 1,100 additional units before year’s end to reach 2,700 beacons and expand coverage to approximately 65 km.
  • The system is being installed across Madrid’s 38 other urban tunnels and is slated for inclusion in the future A-5 underground section.
  • Drivers must enable Bluetooth to use the feature in Waze or Google Maps, and in Maps they also need to turn on the “Bluetooth tunnel beacons” setting.
  • City and project leaders say the open-source setup does not track or store personal data and makes Madrid the largest beacon network in Europe and the second worldwide.