Public phone booths become free Wi-Fi hot spots, what do you think?

According to foreign media reports, several technology companies, including Google, are considering participating in transforming the public telephone boxes in New York into free Wi-Fi hotspots.

A municipal government document shows that in May, an information conference on the project was attended by more than 50 organizations, including Google. The bidding for the project will be held on July 21.

Google is stepping up its network connectivity efforts across the United States and around the world to increase Internet penetration and benefit its users and advertising businesses. The company is introducing fiber-optic network services in several U.S. cities and has also deployed wireless networks in Mountain View, California, and Chelsea, New York.

Google spokesman Kelly Mason declined comment on the news. Other companies participating in the presentation include Cisco, IBM and Samsung.

The project calls for a rebranding of public phone booths to provide "Advertising, Wi-Fi and Phone Services" in all five New York districts. According to the document, participating companies may charge for telephone services outside of 911 and 311 calls but will not be able to charge for network connections. There are more than 7,300 public phone booths in New York City.

Advertising revenue

According to New York City's plan for the program, those WiFi stations will be located in the most heavily trafficked area of ​​the city, earning advertising on the sidebar of the kiosk. Approximately two-thirds of the 4325 public phone booths on which advertising boards are located are in Manhattan, 15% are in Queens, 12% are in Brooklyn, 6% are in the Bronx, and a small percentage is in Stratton island.

The specification for the project on the New York City government website states that "The widespread adoption of mobile devices has reduced the demand for pay phones, but not everyone has a mobile phone and not everyone is connected to the network at all times." Those Wi The -Fi hotspot will need to be synergized, allowing users to log in once to be remembered by the system.

The project started when Mayor Michael Bloomberg took office in 2012, while current mayor Bill de Blasio plans to expand.

Translator: Le Bang

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