27 Jun 2017

London: BT's payphones give way to free 1Gbps Wi-Fi

Some of BT’s payphones in the capital will be replaced with digital street units that will provide Londoners with up to 1Gbps free Wi-Fi, free phones calls and a range of new free digital services. The first of these new units, called InLinks, have appeared on Camden High Street, thanks to a new partnership between BT, Intersection – the company behind LinkNYC, and Primesight – a UK outdoor advertising company

The service will be start to be rolled out to other high streets in London and major cities throughout the country this year. Each InLink will support hundreds of users and will support mobile device charging, access to maps, directions and local services, and a new BT Phone Book app enabling users to search for businesses by type and name, as well as people by name.

InLinks’ digital displays will feature real-time information, such as tube service updates, weather forecasts, and community messaging. All their services are free of charge to users and taxpayers as the project is funded by advertising revenue generated by InLinks’ digital displays. The units are more compact than a traditional payphone booth and will be installed in smaller numbers than the payphones they will replace.

London is the second city to benefit from the units, following the launch of LinkNYC last year. Since the first units were switched on in New York City in January 2016, more than 1.8 million users have registered to use the Wi-Fi service.