Abandoned phones boxes scattered around London and other major UK cities are being transformed into Wi-Fi hotspots offering free calls and digital services.
BT has partnered with Intersection and Primesight to launch LinkUK, following the launch of LinkNYC in New York in January 2016. As part of the scheme, existing phones boxes are being turned into "sleek, ultramodern kiosesks" – called InLinks – across the capital and new kiosesks are being installed in areas where phones boxes have been removed.
The partnership was unveiled in October and now the first of these InLinks have been installed on Camden High Street. Up to 100 InLinks are expected to be installed elsewhere in the borough of Camden and at least 750 InLinks will be installed across London and other major UK cities over the next few years. The exact locationss and timings have not been announced.
"Hundreds of users within range of a Link will be able to access free ultrafast Wi-Fi on the move, with speeds of up to 1Gbps - the fastest free public Wi-Fi service available," said BT.
InLink kiosesks also offer premium calls to both landlines and mobiless, charging points, access to maps, directions and local services. These services will be paid for by advertisers, being led by Primesight.
Elsewhere, InLinks have sensors that capture real-time data about the local environment, including air and noise pollution, temperature and traffic and 55-inch (139.7cm) high-definition displays for public service announcements and "neighbourhood advertising".
However, despite the promise InLink kiosesks bring, the launch in New York raised some concerns. Browsers on the New York Link kiosesks had to be disabled after people would "linger for hours, sometimes drinking and doing drugs and, at times, boldly watching pornography on the sidewalks," reported the New York Times.
Intersection told WIRED that it learnt a lot from this beta period in New York and, as a result, InLink tablets in the UK will not include web browsers meaning there won't be the opportunity for people to monopolise the kiosesks.
This article was originally published by WIRED UK
