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NYC transforms payphones into Wi-Fi kiosks

New York City is transforming its old payphones into Wi-Fi kiosks. Once complete, the kiosks will feature touchscreen tablets, digital signage and USB ports for device charging.

December 30, 2015

New York City is transforming its old payphones into Wi-Fi kiosks. The city plans to install 10,000 of these LinkNYC kiosks as part of a partnership with Google, according to a report by TNW.

The kiosks are designed to provide free high speed Wi-Fi within a 150 foot radius The kiosks also come with a USB port for device charging and two 55-inch digital signage screens to display advertisements.

The plan to deploy these kiosks was first announced in 2014, and the first unit was deployed at 15th Street and 3rd Ave. The project has had a few issues such as accusations that poor neighborhoods would get slower Wi-Fi speeds since advertisers are less likely to advertise at those kiosks.

In the future, the city plans to integrate a touchscreen tablet for Web browsing, wayfinding and information. The kiosks will also allow users to make free phone calls by using the tablet and a microphone. None of the LinkNYC kiosks will be operational until early 2016.