Broadband and technology giant BT has today announced a new 10-year partnership with media group Global. Global will work together to convert a further 2,000 of its traditional payphones and kiosks to the latest smartphones in more than 200 towns and cities in the UK. Street Hub, starting in 2025.
Currently, BT has already upgraded 959 old phone booths. street hub 2 Units typically offer features such as:to” 1Gbps public WiFi connection (”Within a radius of 150 meters), USB charging, mobile calling, small cells to enhance local 4G or 5G mobile signals, local information, environmental sensors, and large HD displays for advertising.
The rollout will take place very slowly over the next 10 years, during which time Global will also continue to manage the marketing and sales of advertising space on BT’s existing Street Hubs.
Bas Berger, BT Business CEO, said:
“BT payphones have long been an iconic feature on British streets and as the way we all communicate changes, today’s announcement marks another step into the future. There are around 1,000 state-of-the-art digital street hubs, bringing the benefits of communications to local communities. BT’s robust connectivity, combined with Global’s unrivaled expertise in out-of-home advertising, will enable this to grow over the next decade. We can almost triple the numbers.”
Just put this in some context. There are currently fewer than 20,000 BT payphones (also known as “”) left.public phone booth” or PCB) are in operation across the UK (down from a high of around 92,000 a few years ago), around 3,000 of which are in traditional red kiosks. The latter enjoys some protection from Ofcom due to its historical significance.
