The fastest free public Wi-Fi in the UK now available in Hounslow and Richmond
Added: (Tue Nov 27 2018)
Pressbox (Press Release) -
27 November, 2018
Hounslow and Richmond become the first Outer London Boroughs to benefit from free ultrafast Wi-Fi and phone calls
InLinkUK from BT: Innovative digital street units go live in Hounslow and Richmond
Hounslow and Richmond are leading the way for the Outer London Boroughs and have become the latest community to benefit from the free InLinkUK from BT service, which already has over 236,000 subscribers across the UK. This launch marks the 300th InLink to be activated in the UK, with the service offering the UK’s fastest free public Wi-Fi plus a range of digital services, including local council and community information.
InLinks provide ultrafast Wi-Fi speeds of up to one gigabit per second (1Gbps), the fastest free public wi-fi service available in the UK. They also provide free phone calls to UK landlines and mobiles, rapid mobile device charging, the BT Phone Book app, as well as easy access to charity helplines.
Hounslow and Richmond join nine other London Boroughs, as well as 13 major UK urban centres; Leicester, Northampton, Southampton, Portsmouth, Leeds, Glasgow, Swansea, Sheffield, Newcastle, Gateshead, Cardiff, Manchester and Birmingham, as the latest location to benefit from the new service.
InLinks mean more space on pavements, as on average, each InLink replaces two BT payphones. We plan to install 18 InLinks to be installed in Hounslow and remove 36 payphones, whilst Richmond will see a removal of 20 payphones for the 10 InLinks planned for the borough. BT’s iconic red phone boxes will remain.
The first of the fully-accessible InLinks have already gone live on Hounslow’s London Road and High Street. Richmond also launches with five InLinks and the service is due to be launched in further Outer London locations in the coming weeks and months.
Hounslow Council and the local community are also benefiting from the digital displays on the InLinks that display real-time information, including the weather forecast and other local information. Each InLink provides more than 1,000 hours of local messaging a year, acting as a community notice board for the local area. These services are provided to the community at no public cost, as the project is funded by advertising revenue.
Matt Bird, general manager for InLinkUK, added: “The very first InLink was launched in London, so it’s great that following our recent rapid growth throughout other parts of the UK, we are continuing to create smart communities throughout the capital. These two key Outer London Boroughs are now able to benefit from the range of digital services our InLinks offer, and we’re looking forward to welcoming many others imminently.
Stacey King, BT regional director for London, said: “Today’s launch in Hounslow and Richmond brings the fastest free public wi-fi in the UK to the area. Residents and visitors alike are set to benefit from these new services, where they can make calls for free, access local information and even charge their phone when out and about.”
The UK rollout has so far seen more than 300 InLinks installed across the UK, with hundreds more to be installed in other major towns and cities in the near future. Since the first InLink was installed in June last year, more than 236,000 people have subscribed to the service’s free Wi-Fi, using enough data to download the equivalent of over 51 million songs. The InLinks have also saved people more than £1,320,000 in free calls, with 70,000 calls being made on average every week across the UK.
The InLinkUK from BT service is dedicated to providing all-inclusive digital services, one of which is their charity icon on the tablet. A free one-touch lifeline to four national charities, which provides free calls to Childline, End Youth Homelessness, Runaway Helpline and Samaritans. The InLinks are also accessible, offering additional digital services, including for those who have sight and visual impairments.
InLinkUK from BT is a partnership between BT and tech start up InLinkUK.
Enquiries:
For InLinkUK: See the media pack (including image library): www.inlinkukmediacentre.com
Email: press@inlinkuk.com
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Notes to Editors
About InLinkUK
InLinkUK is a london-based tech start up, working in exclusive partnership with BT on the removal of a large number of existing payphones, and installation of a smaller number of InLinks, that provide communities with a range of free digital services.
In doing so InLinkUK and BT are creating the InLinkUK from BT service, revolutionising high streets and helping provide a connected city solution that delivers the fastest and most robust free public Wi-Fi service in the UK.
Improving local amenity and providing direct benefits for the community, the services offered by each InLink are available free for everyone, as they are funded through the inclusion of commercial advertising, alongside Council and community content on the two digital display screens, in the same manner as commercial television.
Each InLink provides communities with an unprecedented suite of essential tools for free, including ultrafast Wi-Fi, phone calls, maps, device charging, an emergency 999 call button, public messaging capabilities, as well as a platform for technical innovations.
InLinkUK was created through a joint venture between Intersection, the urban innovation company behind LinkNYC, and Primesight, a leading UK out-of-home media company.
Learn more at http://www.inlinkuk.com
BT’s wi-fi network in the UK:
BT already operates the biggest network in the UK, giving customers unlimited access to the most extensive wi-fi coverage with more than five million hotspots.
Images:
For images, see The BT Media Image library and Telefocus - historical images from BT Archives.
About BT
BT’s purpose is to use the power of communications to make a better world. It is one of the world’s leading providers of communications services and solutions, serving customers in 180 countries. Its principal activities include the provision of networked IT services globally; local, national and international telecommunications services to its customers for use at home, at work and on the move; broadband, TV and internet products and services; and converged fixed-mobile products and services. BT consists of four customer-facing units: Consumer, Enterprise, Global Services and Openreach.
For the year ended 31 March 2018, BT Group’s reported revenue was £23,723m with reported profit before taxation of £2,616m.
British Telecommunications plc (BT) is a wholly-owned subsidiary of BT Group plc and encompasses virtually all businesses and assets of the BT Group. BT Group plc is listed on stock exchanges in London and New York.
For more information, visit www.btplc.com