Madrid had one of the underground labyrinths without more complex GPS. Google and Waze have tamed it with 1,600 Bluetooth beacons

We are so accustomed to GPS that, when suddenly disappears, a simple journey can become a headache. It is not that we have lost the ability to interpret the signs of a lifetime, but that the way of moving through the big cities has changed so much that this technology has become indispensable.

The M-30 is a good example. Their tunnels form one of the most complex systems in Europe and, for many drivers, entering them is a risk of disorientation. Taking a wrong way and ending kilometers from fate is not a rarity, but an experience shared by both Madrid and visitors. The reason was clear: The GPS signal was easily lost underground and sometimes returned absurd data.

Aware of this, the Madrid City Council presented in September 2024 a plan to display electronic beacons with Bluetooth technology. Installation works began in April 2025 And, five months later, The system is already underway. The idea is to continue adding new beacons over time, but the current network already allows assisted navigation to work in the M-30 tunnels. For a road that acts as a real ring ring of the capital, the difference is not less: moving through it should no longer be an act of faith.

An aid that comes at the right time

Moving through the M-30 not only requires dealing with its tunnel framework: works at critical points such as A-5 or the sales zone, together with the usual congestion, make any waste of time weigh more than ever. Being sure that we are not going to mislead in the middle of the curve or to take the wrong exit is not a whim, it is a way to win minutes and avoid dislikes on a day -to -day basis. ⠀

• 1,600 devices have been installed along 48 kilometers of tunnels, with an investment of 141,000 euros.
• The objective is to reach 2,700 beacons at the end of the year, once the installation is completed in the rest of the underground network.
• They are low consumption devices that work with batteries, with an autonomy between four and six years, and issue a unidirectional signal without collecting user information.
• When detecting that signal, the smartphone calculates the position of the driver in real time and keeps navigation activates, even without GPS coverage.
• The impact on the mobile battery is minimal thanks to the use of Bluetooth Low Energy.

A huge impact on daily mobility

The M-30 supports the passage of More than half a million vehicles. Solving a problem such as low -ground loss means improving the experience of hundreds of thousands of drivers That depend on this route to get to work time, home or any point in the city.

Another key aspect is that beacons do not require additional mobile data or complicated configuration: it is enough to have activated bluetooth and grant permission to the application.

The project makes Madrid the European city with the largest network of active beacons and in the second in the world after Sydney. It has been possible thanks to the collaboration between the City Council of Madrid, Madrid Calle 30, Waze, Google and Imalesapi, the company in charge of the installation.

The challenge was not minor: The M-30 has a large number of tickets and exitsin addition to especially complex sections, such as the one from the Prague bridge to the Toledo bridge, with two parallel but overlapping tunnels.

The Paris Network, with the Tunnels of the Défense and La Péripherique, is also equipped with beacons of this type. And outside Europe we find even better examples: the Lincoln tunnel under the Hudson River in New York, Queens-Midtown under the East River or Hugh L. Carey, which connects Brooklyn with Manhattan.

Madrid thus adds to a very small list of cities that have decided to bet on this technology, and does so in one of the most demanding scenarios on the continent.

How is it activated on Google Maps and Waze

The system already works in the two most used navigation applications, although with nuances.

• Google Maps: In Android, you have to go to Navigation settings and activate the option Bluetooth tunnel beacons. In iOS, for now, it is not available.
• Waze: Simply have the bluetooth on and the permits granted. If the user has it deactivated, the app itself will show a notification when approaching a tunnel with beacons so that it can activate it at the time.

Images | Google | Madrid City Council

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