New York City plans to turn its public payphone network into the biggest and fastest free municipal Wi-Fi network in the world. The five-borough LinkNYC network, which will be funded through advertising revenues, will be built at no cost to taxpayers and will generate more than $500 million in revenue for the City over the next 12 years.
Unlike many current municipal Wi-Fi projects, which are available only in city centers and only for a few hours a day, LinkNYC will offer 24/7 access across the Big Apple. It will also all New York City plans to turn its public payphone network into the biggest and fastest free municipal Wi-Fi network in the world, allow users to make free calls to any phone in the US, as well as to 911 and 311, New York City’s information service number.
Construction of the LinkNYC network will begin in 2015, and the first structures will become operational by the year’s end. Up to 10,000 Links will be installed across all five boroughs.
LinkNYC is the result of a public–private partnership between the Mayor’s Office of Technology and Innovation, the Department of Information Technology and Telecommunications (DoITT) and CityBridge, a New York City-based consortium whose members and extended team includes advertising company Titan, telecom giant Qualcomm, New York-based user experience design firm Control Group, and the hardware company Comark.
CityBridge has committed to establishing a facility for local production in New York City. The LinkNYC program is expected to create 100 to 150 new full-time jobs in manufacturing, technology and advertising, plus an estimated 650 support jobs.
all images courtesy of LinkNYC