BT has announced a new 10-year partnership with media group Global to convert more of its legacy payphones and kiosks into brand-new smart Street Hubs.
So far, BT has already upgraded 959 of its old payphone boxes to Street Hub 2 units. The move should provide better connectivity and hyper-local advertising in more than 200 towns and cities across the UK. Global will also continue to represent BT’s street furniture advertising sales in a rollout over the next decade.
As well as offering secure connectivity at speeds of up to 1Gbps within a 150-metre radius, modern Street Hub 2 units have a dedicated 999 calling button, USBs for free device charging and touch-screen tablets displaying real-time public information from local councils. They also feature screens to open up digital, street-level advertising for businesses.
“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,” says Bas Burger, CEO – Business at BT, “There are already almost 1,000 modern digital Street Hubs bringing communication benefits to local communities across the UK. By bringing together BT’s rock-solid connectivity with Global’s unrivalled expertise in out-of-home advertising, we can almost triple this number over the next decade.”
