BT to Convert 2,000 More UK Payphones to Gigabit WiFi Street Hubs
Broadband and technology giant BT has today announced a new 10-year partnership with media group Global, which will jointly work to convert a further 2,000 of the operator’s legacy payphones and kiosks – across more than 200 UK towns and cities – into brand-new smart Street Hubs, starting in 2025.
At present BT has already upgraded 959 of their old payphone boxes to Street Hub 2 units, which typically offer features such as “up to” 1Gbps capable public WiFi connectivity (“within a 150-metre radius“), USB charging, mobile calling, small cells to boost localised 4G or 5G mobile signals, local information, environmental sensors and a large HD display for adverts.
The roll-out will occur very slowly over the next 10-years, and during this period Global will also continue to manage the marketing and selling of advertising spaces on BT’s existing Street Hubs.
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Bas Burger, CEO of Business at BT, 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. 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.”
Just to put this in some context. At present there are less than 20,000 remaining BT payphones (aka – “Public Call Boxes” or PCB) in operation across the UK (down from a height of c.92,000 some years ago) and around 3,000 of those are in traditional red kiosks. The latter enjoy some protection from Ofcom, due to their historic significance.
Mark is a professional technology writer, IT consultant and computer engineer from Dorset (England), he also founded ISPreview in 1999 and enjoys analysing the latest telecoms and broadband developments. Find me on X (Twitter), Mastodon, Facebook, BlueSky, Threads.net and Linkedin.
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I hope they will be installing proper urinals at the same time!
In a lot of UK cities it’s now customary to just do it on the pavement.
of course these are really just there for the advertising revenue (and boosting EE coverage as a secondary benefit) – i can’t imagine tons of people use the wifi and especially not the speakerphone.
councils see it as a workaround to any planning regs that would apply to an advertising board.
Can you imagine someone screaming into one of these things? Haha
But yes. I’d love to know if these are classed as permitted development.
You can use your own headphones. Also there is no need to shout, the quality of the speaker and noise cancellation is brilliant. 65,000 calls per day still pass through BT’s Payphones and many calls pass through Street Hubs.
The Payphones will soon be connected using Digital Voice and mobile connections when PSTN is turned off so it makes sense to switch some to Street Hubs instead of spending money on altering Payphones which won’t be heavily used.
The ad revenue isn’t what BT expected, consumer spending is down which is normal when the economy isn’t great, so advertisers are also spending less. Back in 2017, BT wanted £2700 per fortnight to advertise on a Street Hub, bare in mind that Global, BT’s ad partner will also take a slice of that revenue for themselves.
BT’s K6 and KX range of kiosks are also being used for small cells.
I see a lot of people using them in London. It also offers the homeless a lifeline. Just because you don’t use or don’t need them, there are a lot of other people who do. If you are homeless and you enter an establishment to use the WiFi, you will be asked to leave.
The new digital street hubs could have an additional canopy to protect against rain, sleet and snow and air conditioning to either provide localised warmth or cooling around the street hub depending on the external weather and temperature.
Government need to increase funding to local government to increase the numbers of public toilets as many have closed due to budget cuts and austerity.
Clear Channel’s New World Payphone kiosks are a better design as it is open but still protects you from the rain, the kiosks also contain a traditional GPT Card and Cash payphone and the usage is high. The Street Hubs are a little like Mercury’s kiosks which did not protect you from the British weather.
Stuck between a clock and a wet place. . . . it would seem that they want the revenue from the use of and advertising on such devices but don’t want groups of the hoi poloi to congregate at one point next to the hub and promote the usual sorts of close quarters nefarious activities.
If it wasn’t for the desperate need for advertising revenue, as most people have phones (Even American tourists), why not do away with the screen and just have a duly protected miniature Tx/Rx device located on the pavement, marked accordingly, and ensure that the signal span reaches other commercial entities covered enclosures i.e. bus shelters, shop-front overhangs, shops, shopping arcades, the local chippy
I am surprised the marketeers have neglected the sales opportunity – the combined BT Street Hub/pissoir – very EU – “Lend me yours Penny, I want to pee and phone” (To update the popular plaguerism of Greta’s phrase. . . Garbo that is).
The lack of public toilets is yet another Urban shame for the UK.