New York City Officially Launches Free Public Wi-Fi
After a soft launch of four hubs in January, the LinkNYC system officially goes live today.
02.18.16 11:51 AM
New York City will see the official launch of its new citywide LinkNYC free Wi-Fi system today. At noon on Thursday, NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio is announcing the public launch of the Wi-Fi hotspots that have replaced old payphones at the northwest corner of 16th Street and 3rd Avenue. Mayor de Blasio will be joined by members from CityBridge, the consortium of companies behind the LinkNYC system.
Though the LinkNYC system had a soft launch in January, with the Wi-Fi at four LinkNYC hubs turned on on Manhattan’s Third Avenue, today’s official rollout includes more hub locations and support for LinkNYC’s tablet capabilities.
Each LinkNYC hub is a 10-foot-tall structure made of aluminum, which connects to a newly laid fiber Internet network in the city. The hubs act as wireless routers that New Yorkers and visitors can connect to for free with their devices to get ultrafast Internet. But each LinkNYC hub also includes a built-in Android tablet, which allows passersby without their own device to browse the web, access city services, contact 311, view maps and directions, and even make free Vonage phone calls to anywhere in the U.S. With the official public launch of the LinkNYC system today, existing LinkNYC hub tablet capabilities will go live for the first time.
originally from fast company
Paul Benger 