UK turning old phone boxes into hi-tech Street Hubs with WiFi, free phone chargers
Technology
Telecoms giant offer free UK landline and mobile calls
(Web Desk) - Thousands of old phone boxes are set to get a 21st century makeover, BT has announced.
The telecoms giant is turning them into Street Hubs with Wi-fi, phone chargers, and screens showing real-time council updates.
With no more old-fashioned numbers to dial, the new versions will have just one button to call the emergency services.
BT announced a ten-year partnership with media firm Global that will bring them into 200 towns and cities from 2025.
All of the new features will be free – funded by the advertising revenue from the huge digital displays on either side.
In contrast, the old phone boxes reportedly cost between £300 and £600 a year running as they fell into disrepair.
At their peak, there were 92,000 in total across the UK – but they have suffered a slow demise with the advent of the mobile phone.
BT has in recent times been working to adapt them to more modern times by turning them into free Street Hubs.
As well as boosting mobile phone signal everywhere within 500ft, they will have free USB charging points installed and touch-screen tablets showing real-time public information.
They also offer free UK landline and mobile calls – and allow 999 calls at the touch of a button.
Bas Burger, chief executive of BT Business, said: 'BT's payphones have long been an iconic feature on the UK's streets – and with the way we all communicate changing, today's announcement marks a further step into the future.'
Though they first appeared on British streets in the late 19th century, phone boxes only became standardised across the UK in 1921.
At first made out of concrete, their design gradually changed - and only turned red later on in a bid to help people see them better.
Many fans of the classic red phone box have been keen to recycle them, with one phone box in Cambridgeshire turned into a pub.
BT also sells the most recognisable K6 phone box - introduced in 1935 to celebrate the Silver Jubilee of King George V – for £1,750.
While buying one for your house might prove a little steep, the company also offers the public the chance to 'adopt' one for £1.
Several local communities have done so, turning them into libraries, coffee shops, and mini art galleries.
