LinkNYC

LinkNYC is a public communications infrastructure project created to replace New York City’s declining payphone network with connected kiosks offering free public internet and basic communication services. The project was announced by the administration of Mayor Bill de Blasio in November 2014 after the city sought proposals for reusing thousands of sidewalk payphone sites whose operating contracts were due to expire. The winning CityBridge consortium included Qualcomm, Titan, Control Group, and Comark; Titan and Control Group subsequently combined as Intersection. The first Link installations began in late 2015, and the public network launched in early 2016. A typical Link is a tall, street-side kiosk with two high-definition advertising and information displays, an encrypted gigabit Wi-Fi connection, an Android-based tablet for maps and city services, USB charging ports, and a telephone. The phone provides free calls within the United States, supports calling cards for international calls, and includes a direct emergency-calling button. The system is funded substantially through advertising and commercial arrangements rather than direct charges to users, while the city receives contractual revenue. LinkNYC was conceived as both a digital-equity program and a smart-city platform. It was intended to extend fast connectivity to residents and visitors, modernize obsolete street furniture, and make public information and emergency communication more accessible. The rollout, however, progressed more slowly than the original targets. Although plans called for thousands of Links across the five boroughs, deployment remained concentrated in Manhattan for much of the project’s early life. By 2020, 1,869 kiosks had been installed, and a 2021 New York State Comptroller review found that coverage was uneven across the city’s ZIP Codes. By 2022, the city’s remaining public payphones had been replaced by Links, and the network reported approximately 425,000 monthly users. The project has also generated controversy. Privacy advocates have questioned how connection and location-related data may be collected and used. Public internet browsing on the kiosk tablets was disabled in 2016 after the devices were used for inappropriate and potentially illicit activity. Security commentators have warned about the possibility of fraudulent wireless networks imitating LinkNYC’s network name and about attacks on public infrastructure. Later Link5G poles, introduced in 2022, expanded the project into wireless telecommunications infrastructure but prompted concerns about visual impact, siting, neighborhood equity, and the adequacy of public consultation. LinkNYC remains an active New York City connectivity program and a frequently cited example of advertising-supported municipal digital infrastructure.

LinkNYC grew out of New York City’s effort to determine what should replace its aging public payphones. In 1999, companies operating city payphones entered into a 15-year maintenance arrangement. As mobile phones became widespread, payphone use and the number of active units declined sharply. The city had about 13,000 phones in 2012 and roughly 9,133 phones at more than 7,000 locations by April 2014. With the operating contract scheduled to expire in October 2014, officials began seeking a new use for the street-side network. A 2012 request for information asked whether payphone structures could support public wireless service, touch-screen wayfinding, charging, civic information, and community communications. The city also experimented with free Wi-Fi routers at ten payphones. A separate Harlem project launched in 2013 and created a large continuous free public Wi-Fi area, demonstrating demand for publicly supported connectivity. In 2013, the Bloomberg administration held a competition for ideas to repurpose the payphone system. Many submissions proposed Wi-Fi, but few explained how a citywide network could be financed and operated. On April 30, 2014, the Department of Information Technology and Telecommunications issued a formal request for proposals covering more than 7,000 payphones and potentially as many as 10,000 communication points. The proposed system would provide free Wi-Fi, calls, emergency access, and advertising. The commercial structure required the operator to pay the city either a specified annual minimum or a share of gross revenue, whichever was greater. In November 2014, the city selected CityBridge, a consortium formed by Qualcomm, Titan, Control Group, and Comark. Titan and Control Group announced a merger in 2015, creating Intersection, which became a central operating company in the project. Installation began in December 2015 on Third Avenue, and the first Links went online in January 2016. The public launch followed in February. Each Link combined connectivity with two large displays, a tablet interface, charging ports, and free telephone service. The project also required extensive new communications cabling and coordination with borough presidents, business improvement districts, community boards, and local elected officials. Initial plans envisioned approximately 7,000 Links, with a longer-term capacity of 10,000 and a target of 7,500 installations by 2024. The actual rollout was slower and less geographically balanced than projected. About 400 hubs were operating in three boroughs by September 2016, 920 by July 2017, 1,250 by January 2018, and 1,600 by September 2018. There were 1,774 kiosks by December 2019 and 1,869 by May 2020, substantially below the expected schedule. A 2021 comptroller review found that Manhattan had Links in most of its ZIP Codes, while coverage elsewhere was more limited. By 2022, the remaining public payphones had been replaced and the network reported approximately 425,000 monthly users. The original kiosks attracted criticism over privacy, cybersecurity, and misuse. Advocates raised questions about the collection and potential use of user data, while security observers warned that attackers could imitate the network’s name or compromise public devices. The tablet browsers were removed in 2016 after inappropriate uses became a public issue. Several enclosed payphones on Manhattan’s Upper West Side were preserved for historical reasons rather than replaced. A later phase introduced Link5G, a separate tall-pole design capable of supporting 5G wireless service. CityBridge submitted designs in 2021, and the first test pole was installed in Long Island City in March 2022. A publicly accessible pole followed in Morris Heights in July 2022. The program contemplated more than 2,000 poles in areas with inadequate internet service. Although a 2023 study cited broad support among residents who knew about the program, many residents remained unaware of the poles and others objected to their appearance and placement. LinkNYC therefore developed from a payphone-replacement project into a broader municipal connectivity and wireless infrastructure platform.

• 2022

  Link5G rollout begins

  [1]LinkNYCen.wikipedia.org

  The first Link5G poles entered testing and public deployment, extending the project into 5G infrastructure.

• 2020

  Network reaches 1,869 kiosks

  [1]LinkNYCen.wikipedia.org

  CityBridge reported 1,869 installed Links, although deployment remained below the original schedule.

• 2016

  Public LinkNYC launch

  [1]LinkNYCen.wikipedia.org

  The first Links went online in January and the public network was announced in February.

• 2015

  First Links installed

  [1]LinkNYCen.wikipedia.org

  Installation began on Third Avenue in Manhattan in December.

• 2014

  CityBridge wins the contract

  [1]LinkNYCen.wikipedia.org

  The CityBridge consortium was selected to build and operate a citywide communications-point network.

• 2013

  Payphone-repurposing competition

  [1]LinkNYCen.wikipedia.org

  The city held a competition for proposals to transform the payphone network, with Wi-Fi emerging as a recurring concept.

• 2012

  City seeks new uses for payphones

  [1]LinkNYCen.wikipedia.org

  New York City requested ideas for adding wireless, information, charging, and communications functions to its declining payphone network.

Public digital infrastructure and urban connectivity service

• Public communications kiosk · 2016

  Link kiosk

  The core LinkNYC street unit replaces a former payphone site with free encrypted gigabit Wi-Fi, two high-definition displays, an Android tablet for maps and city information, USB charging ports, and a telephone. The phone supports free calls to the United States and emergency access, while advertising displayed on the kiosk helps support the operating model.

• 5G wireless infrastructure · 2022

  Link5G

  Link5G is a taller pole-based extension of the LinkNYC system designed to provide 5G wireless service and connectivity in areas with inadequate internet access. The first test installation occurred in Queens in 2022, followed by public deployment in the Bronx and additional installations elsewhere in New York City.

• 2016

  Privacy and kiosk-browser controversy

  Privacy advocates raised concerns about potential user tracking and data collection, while public tablet browsers were disabled after reports of inappropriate and illicit use of the devices.

  Source

Read more

• 2022

  Expand into Link5G polesProduct launch

  Background

  CityBridge proposed taller wireless structures to extend the project beyond kiosk-based Wi-Fi and address gaps in reliable internet service.

  Action taken

  The city approved an initial Link5G deployment, beginning with testing in Queens and public installation in the Bronx.

  Aftermath

  The expansion created a new phase of infrastructure deployment while prompting debate over pole design, location, and neighborhood equity.

  City revenue share. 8% of the first $200 million in Link5G profits and 50% of revenue above $200 million (Agreement described for the Link5G program)

  Source

• 2016

  Disable kiosk web browsingStrategy

  Background

  The public tablets were criticized after being used for inappropriate purposes, creating operational and community concerns.

  Action taken

  LinkNYC removed general web-browsing access from the kiosk tablets while retaining access to maps, directions, and city services.

  Aftermath

  The change reduced the tablets’ general-purpose functionality but preserved their civic-information role.

  Source

• 2014

  Replace payphones with connected LinksStrategy

  Background

  New York City needed a successor to its expiring payphone operating arrangements as mobile-phone adoption reduced traditional payphone use.

  Action taken

  The city awarded CityBridge a contract to replace payphone sites with advertising-supported communications points offering free Wi-Fi and calls.

  Aftermath

  The project became LinkNYC and developed into one of the city’s principal public connectivity systems.

  Source

1. 1LinkNYCen.wikipedia.org