Londoners to benefit from the fastest free public Wi-Fi available
Londoners will soon be able to make use of faster free Wi-Fi around the city, thanks to BT.
It is estimated that speeds of up to 1Gbps will be offered by kiosks found all over the city once BT rolls out its new Wi-Fi service next year. The telecoms giant is joining forces for this initiative with specialist Wi-Fi company LinkNYC and Primesight, the outdoor advertising company.
Users will be able to access the kiosks, called Links, in London’s high streets. Each of the Links will allow hundreds of people to access Wi-Fi services from its location. Within the next few years, BT plans to put more than 750 Links around the country, and the London Borough of Camden will have around 100 in total. At the present moment in time, the only other major city in the world with a similar system is New York.
The current BT phone boxes will be removed to make room for the new kiosks. BT said that one of the advantages of Links is that they do not take up as much space, and they will also have the ability to track air pollution, temperatures and traffic issues. The kiosks will be able to provide local councils with smart services.
Links will not only be offering Wi-Fi services. Users will still be able to make phone calls as well as charge their mobile phones and get free access to maps. Advertising revenues will pay for the services. Links are another step in ensuring that London remains one of the world’s technological capitals.