New York advances in its transformation as a smart city with the largest WiFi network in the world as a digital totem

The CityBridge consortium of companies, responsible for the LinkNYC project to replace the fences 10.000 New York City public telephones 8.400 WiFi access points located on digital information totems so that citizens can connect for free, It already has approval from the authorities to deploy the largest wireless network in the world, funded by dynamic digital advertising.

The project LinkNYC, awarded in tender to the CityBridge consortium of companies - formed by Qualcomm, Titan, Control Group, Comark, Transit Wireless y Antenna Design, with a non-exclusive franchise agreement with DoITT-, part of the initiative of the New York City Council carried out a few years ago and effective now with its current mayor, Bill de Blasio, to modernize the city and eliminate the digital divide between citizens, visitors and companies with the replacement of 10.000 public telephone booths 8.400 free Internet access points via WiFi and digital information systems.

With approval by the Franchise and Concessions Commission (FCRC) of the city council, The deployment of what will be the largest WiFi network and digital information media in the world will begin at the end of this year and its budget (around two hundred million dollars) will be financed through advertising revenues that will be displayed on digital screens, at no cost to citizens, with which it is expected to raise more than five hundred million dollars in twelve years.

The five boroughs of the city -Manhattan, Queens, Bronx, Brooklyn y Staten Island- will have these innovative access points, with a radius of 45 a 50 meters and support for about two hundred simultaneous users, that will work 24×7 and will have three high-power wireless antennas to provide a maximum of 1 Free GB speed and make free calls within the United States.

As Bill de Blasio pointed out in a statement, “with this proposal to launch the widest and fastest free municipal internet network in the world, accessible and free for all New Yorkers and visitors, we are taking a critical step towards a more equitable city, open and connected.

Dynamic digital advertising

These supports, which will also have a braille keyboard for people with visual disabilities and a mobile device charging station, will integrate two large digital touch screens with Google's Android operating system to provide information of interest and services in New York City, as interactive maps, main monuments, emergency services (with a direct communication button 911 y 311), surf the net, etc.

Through these screens, and as the main element to finance the LinkNYC project, Dynamic advertising spaces from advertisers who are committed to this project will be shown to connect with a huge and varied audience.

Advances in the smart city process

The LinkNYC project is one of the most important advances that the city will implement in its transformation as a smart city. The first five hundred stations or access points will be available between the end of 2015 and principles of 2016, and the process will continue for the next six years and open to new possibilities of interconnection (For example, with the city's metro network), since the contract signed with the CityBridge consortium has a duration of fifteen years.

The proposed structures have been designed in an elegant aluminum structure by the award-winning team at Antenna Design, leaders of Massage Udagawa and Sei Moesling, to complement and enhance the New York cityscape. As part of the contract, CityBridge to create manufacturing facility, production, assembly and local repairs of the same in the five counties, what will create around 150 new jobs and 650 more complementary, according to the forecasts of those responsible.

The CityBridge consortium, based in New York, It is made up of companies specialized in technology, advertising, connectivity and user experience, chosen through a public Request for Proposals competition (RFP, in English), in which it is evaluated, among others, technical characteristics, function efficiency, aesthetics, security, durability, adaptation for disabled, articulated benefits to the public and the implementation service.