Hot Spot Network On The Way
The Franchise and Concession Review Committee approved last Wednesday, Dec. 10, New York City’s LinkNYC proposal, allowing for the construction of up to 10,000 Links throughout all five boroughs.
The LinkNYC plan set was put forth by the Mayor’s Office of Technology and Innovation, the Department of Information Technology and Telecommunications (DoITT), and CityBridge which is a New York City based consortium that includes Titan, Qualcomm, Comark, and Control Group.
This plan will replace pay phone booths and replace them with state-of-the-art, free Wi-Fi hotspots called Links. Mayor Bill de Blasio said this cutting-edge vision “marks a significant step forward in this administration’s efforts to bridge the digital divide.”
The Links will offer the world’s fastest and largest, free municipal Wi-Fi with gigabit speeds. Gigabit Wi-Fi is about 100 times faster than the average public Wi-Fi, and 20 times faster than NYC home Wi-Fi
The sleek booths will be fitted with digital displays on the outside to provide intelligently programed advertising and public service announcements. This means that city agencies will be able to communicate better with the public during an emergency situation.
Available for use at the Links will be an Android tablet with a touch screen display to let people access city services, get directions and other useful features, as well as a directional speaker and microphone.
The Links also provide a tactile keypad with Braille lettering, for placing free domestic calls at any time, a dedicated 911 button, a free USB charging station and headphone jack, all to better connect New Yorkers.
LinkNYC will be one of the first free municipal Wi-Fi services to offer an encrypted network connection in the country. The network will prevent peer-to-peer security threats by eliminating device-to-device communications. This will protect users’ information better than ever before.
The first 400 Links will start being installed in 2015 and the first structures will be operational by year’s end. All of this will be done at zero cost to taxpayers.
The Links are stated to generate “a guaranteed revenue of $500 million over he next 12 years,” de Blasio said, which will fund the creation and installation of the 10,000 Links for all five boroughs.
City Comptroller Scott M. Stringer said, “high-speed broadband will drive our City’s economic competitiveness in the 21st century.”
Not only will these hubs bring in revenue for the city, but they will also create jobs. According to the LinkNYC website, CityBridge has committed to having a facility for local production in New York City. This program is projected to create 100 to 150 new full-time jobs in manufacturing, technology and advertising, as well as an estimated 650 support jobs.
