InLink boxes in Camden

BT launches InLink boxes in Camden offering anyone free WiFi access, phone calls and maps.

09:46 17 February 2019

BT is replacing payphone kiosks on the streets of Derby with InLink boxes, which offers free phone calls, WiFi access and phone charging services. The company has already submitted planning applications to Derby City Council outlining the steps they will take to remove 16 payphones and put five new InLink units in their place.

 

A BT spokesman said: "We believe that the removal of the existing kiosks and the installation of this much smaller InLink structure will improve the overall amenity of the area and not pose an issue for highways safety.

 

"The units will replace outdated and underused payphones, which attract and encourage anti-social tendencies and raise many public concerns.

 

"The installation of five units and the removal of 16 existing kiosks will clean up the streets and cement Derby's play as a digital powerhouse."

 

BT has already installed similar units in various parts of the UK, including Cardiff, Manchester, Portsmouth, Swansea, London, Leeds, Glasgow, Southampton, Birmingham, Doncaster, Leicester, Gateshead, Newcastle, Northampton and Sheffield.

 

Last October, BT’s applications to install InLink kiosks have been rejected by Sutton Council saying that the units would clutter the streets. Meanwhile, the Metropolitan Police says the kiosks have been used in more than 20,000 drug deals in the first three months of using the phones.