LinkNYC
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A Link at Third Avenue and 16th Street in Manhattan
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| Founded | November 7, 2014 |
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| Headquarters | New York City, New York, U.S. |
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Area served
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New York metropolitan area |
| Brands | LinkNYC |
| Services | Wireless communication |
| Owner |
Intersection (CityBridge consortium) Qualcomm CIVIQ Smartscapes |
| Website | link |
LinkNYC is the New York City branch of an international infrastructure project to create a network covering several cities with free Wi-Fi service. The office of New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio announced the plan on November 17, 2014, and the installation of the first kiosks, or "Links," started in late 2015. The Links replace the city's network of 9,000 to 13,000 payphones, a contract for which expired in October 2014. The LinkNYC kiosks were devised after the government of New York City held several competitions to "reinvent" the payphone system. The most recent competition, in 2014, resulted in the contract being awarded to the CityBridge consortium, which comprises Qualcomm; Titan and Control Group, which now make up Intersection.com; and Comark.
All of the 9.5-foot-tall (2.9 m) Links feature two 55-inch (140 cm) high-definition displays on their sides; Android tablet computers for accessing city maps, directions, and services, and making video calls; two free USB charging stations for smartphones; and a phone allowing free calls to all 50 states and Washington, D.C.. The Links also provide the ability to use calling cards to make international calls, and each Link has one button to call 9-1-1 directly.
The project brings free, encrypted, gigabit wireless internet coverage to the five boroughs by converting old payphones into Wi-Fi hotspots where free phone calls could also be made. As of July 2017[update], there are 920 Links citywide; eventually, there will be 7,500 Links installed in the New York metropolitan area, making the system the world's fastest and most expansive. Intersection has also proposed installing Links in other cities such as London and Columbus, Ohio. The Links are seen as a model for future city builds as part of smart city data pools and infrastructure.
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Wikipedia