Hardware

Big Outdoor and IKE Smart City to partner on digital wayfinding kiosks in Santa Monica

Image: Adobe Stock.

February 1, 2023

Big Outdoor and IKE Smart City have agreed on a partnership to deploy 50 digital wayfinding kiosks in Santa Monica, California and raise as much as $5 million per year for city coffers, according to a Santa Monica Daily Press report. The kiosks will offer public Wi-Fi access, community messaging, emergency communication capabilities, pedestrians counters, access to the city's 3-1-1 system, photo booth functions and advertising.

The city initially awarded the contract to Big Outdoor following a bidding process.

Big Outdoor promised the city $9 million in the first year based on a combined signing bonus and revenue split. The company expected $5 million per year in payments to the city with 25 kiosks installed and gross revenues around $14 million annually over 20 years with all 50 kiosks were installed.

IKE in early 2023 began gathering signatures for a ballot measure to force the city to put the contract before voters.

IKE recently canceled the initiative as the two companies have become partners on the contract.

Big Outdoor will retain an architect to design the advertising kiosks exterior.