Google is bringing advanced tech to New York City from an old-fashioned source: pay phones. Sidewalk Labs, a company that’s part of Google, plans to turn 10,000 unused payphone booths into Wi-Fi hotspots. The project is estimated to cost $200 million and be completed within 12 years. The booths will have other features besides wireless Internet, too. They also will contain screens that can provide Internet access, local information and free nationwide phone calls. The Wi-Fi range will be approximately 150 feet (46 m). There also will be ads on the booths, which will help cover the cost. The revenue for the ads will total about $500 million over the 12-year installation. And Sidewalk Labs has no plans to stop at New York City. It plans to bring the project to other cities, and in more ways than old phone booths. Even streetlights could be host to a Wi-Fi hotspot. It’s all a part of the company’s goal to improve city life.
