New York City residents know that whether public pay phones are seldom used or out of order, that they're severely outdated.
That's precisely why LinkNYC station hubs, offering free high-speed Wi-Fi access points and smartphone charging began being installed in Manhattan on Monday, on pace to replace upwards of 7,500 public pay phones, as reported by The Verge.
Each LinkNYC station will offer users a secure, encrypted network of Wi-Fi hotspots, with a signal range of up to 150 feet, for instant Internet use on their smartphones. In addition, each kiosk will also offer New Yorkers USB-device charging ports and touchscreen web browsing.
The LinkNYC campaign also seems to be encouraging New Yorkers to download heavy files with the use of their free Internet service. For example, as part of the initiative, the website says: "Free Gigabit Wi-Fi — You could pretty much download Ghostbusters in seconds, not minutes."
Like the public pay phone hubs, the LinkNYC stations will sport large advertising displays, which is how the overall effort is being paid for. In fact, The Verge is reporting that New York City estimates that the ads on the LinkNYC stations will pump out $500 million-plus in revenue by 2028.
The website adds that in the future, the kiosks may also tout a built-in, touchscreen tablet for surfing the web, using maps and making free phone calls.
This project, which was first announced in November of 2014 expects to have 500 LinkNYC stations set up across New York City by mid-July 2016.
A better connected Manhattan in the New Year!
