LinkUK or InLinkUK is an infrastructure project that planned to cover major cities in the United Kingdom with free
Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi () is a family of wireless network protocols, based on the IEEE 802.11 family of standards, which are commonly used for local area networking of devices and Internet access, allowing nearby digital devices to exchange data by radio wav ...
service. LinkUK kiosks, called Links, was initially rolled out in the London borough of
Camden in 2017, and later in Lambeth, Hammersmith & Fulham and other boroughs. Afterwards, it was intended that Links would be installed in the remainder of
Greater London and eventually across major cities in the UK. LinkUK is an expansion of the
LinkNYC
LinkNYC is the New York City branch of an international infrastructure project to create a network covering several cities with free Wi-Fi service. The office of New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio announced the plan on November 17, 2014, and ...
project covering New York City with free Wi-Fi service.
InLink Limited, the company set up to install and manage InLinkUK's WiFi kiosks, together with BT, Intersection and advertising firm Primesight, entered
administration
Administration may refer to:
Management of organizations
* Management, the act of directing people towards accomplishing a goal
** Administrative Assistant, traditionally known as a Secretary, or also known as an administrative officer, admini ...
in 2019, casting doubt over the future of the project. To resolve the problem, BT purchased the part of the InLink network that they did not already own, and re-branded the kiosks as "Street Hubs", and in 2021 launched the next, improved version.
History
In 2015,
BT Group
BT Group plc ( trading as BT and formerly British Telecom) is a British multinational telecommunications holding company headquartered in London, England. It has operations in around 180 countries and is the largest provider of fixed-line, bro ...
sought an advertising partner to maintain advertisements situated in its 17,500
telephone booth
A telephone booth, telephone kiosk, telephone call box, telephone box or public call box is a tiny structure furnished with a payphone and designed for a telephone user's convenience; usually the user steps into the booth and closes the booth ...
s across the UK. BT ultimately partnered with
Intersection, the owner of LinkNYC, and Primesight, a London-based advertising agency. BT will remove certain telephone booths for the Links and provide the network infrastructure. In return, Intersection and Primesight will display advertising on two dedicated screens on the kiosks.
Services
The Links will provide free Wi-Fi access with speeds up to 1
gigabit per second
In telecommunications, data-transfer rate is the average number of bits (bitrate), characters or symbols (baudrate), or data blocks per unit time passing through a communication link in a data-transmission system. Common data rate units are multi ...
, while displays on both sides of the Link will display digital advertisements. The Links feature a tablet, two
USB
Universal Serial Bus (USB) is an industry standard that establishes specifications for cables, connectors and protocols for connection, communication and power supply (interfacing) between computers, peripherals and other computers. A broad ...
charging ports, and a phone providing free calling to UK numbers.
Devices can access the Links' network without time or access limits.
Each Link's tablet will provide basic functionality, such as maps and access to emergency services.
Complaints
While LinkNYC was being rolled out,
kiosks
Historically, a kiosk () was a small garden pavilion open on some or all sides common in Persia, the Indian subcontinent, and in the Ottoman Empire from the 13th century onward. Today, several examples of this type of kiosk still exist in an ...
' web browsers were being used to access inappropriate content such as pornography. Amid this concern, LinkUK kiosks' tablets will not have a web browser.
In the UK there have been complaints that the free phone service is being exploited by drug dealers.
External links
LinkUK website
References
{{BT Group
BT Group
Alphabet Inc.
Municipal wireless networks
Communications in the United Kingdom