My hometown of New York City has announced a plan to replace thousands of payphones with wi-fi hotspots. The Link(as it is called) will provide free public wifi, free phone calls anywhere in the U.S., a touchscreen interface to city services and directions, easy 311/911 access, free charging for mobile, and digital displays for advertising and PSAs.
The wi-fi will be encrypted, which is not common in public hotspots, and some locations will be gigabit.
On a practical level, this modernizes the payphone. It still has the important aspects…the ability to call for emergency services, make telephone calls when needed, etc. But it adds in the services that we desire in the modern age.
I am a bit concerned about a few things. One, this is a ten-foot tall spire with ads on the side. The ads are by necessity. That’s what is going to fund this. But I worry about the intrusiveness of these things. But it will likely be no more intrusive than other ads. Also, imagine a group of digital nomads clustered around this spire with its internet and charging station.
A ten foot tall device actually could blanket a wider area than just immediately around the device. It is tall enough to theoretically stretch down the street. It could change a lot.
