New York City Has Just Installed Its First Wi-Fi Kiosk

Setting the beginning of a new era of Internet, New York City has just installed its first Wi-Fi Kiosk. The initiative is part of a new program developed in collaboration with CityBridge, which presupposes that all pay phones will be turned into Wi-Fi hotspots in the next 12 years.

Digital advertising has become increasingly popular in the past years and New York City has just come up with a new solution for increased wireless access. City official have just signed a 12-year deal with CityBridge to have all pay phones replaced with Wi-Fi hotspots that will range for approximately 150 feet.

The first hotspot has already been installed in the East Village. It comes with USB chargers, touchscreen-based Internet access and digital advertising. CityBridge claims the internet connection will be just as fast as the one provided by Google Fiber, although the speed will vary, depending on the location of the hotspot.

The fastest hotspots will be located within the vicinity of Manhattan, whereas the rest of the city boroughs will receive appropriate Internet connections for existing demands. Although CityBridge could not provide an exact description, it is estimated that other hubs will work on a mixture of gigabit and slow hubs.

Before you get your smartphone and wireless devices ready for wireless connections, there is one more thing you should know: the hotspots will be officially installed in the following 12 years, according to the agreement between New York City and CityBridge.

The contract features several deadlines that CityBridge has to meet during this time interval. Thus, the first 500 access points will be installed in the following 120 days and their installation requirements have to be observed accordingly.

New York City should see the installation of 4,500 hot spots after the first four years, the company has further explained. By the end of the 12-year timeline, there will be a minimum of 7,500 wireless kiosks all over the New York City boroughs.

Officials think CityBridge will do its best to install the new Wi-Fi hotspots around the city and probably exceed the 7,500 minimum limit. Profits from digital advertising are impressive, so the company will cover all installation and maintenance-related expenses in no time, officials have estimated.

CityBridge has further stated that the first Wi-Fi kiosk will become functional in the following two weeks. The company is currently building the infrastructure to make wireless access available in less developed boroughs, as well.

Those, who want to find out how much wireless coverage will they get in their neighborhood, they can access the I Quant NY and see the location of each and every pay phone in New York’s five boroughs. Those with a 150-foot bubble are most likely to become hotspots as they can offer the necessary Wi-Fi radius.

Image source: www.statescoop.com