Google aims to bring Free Wifi Access to people in New York and around the globe
Sidewalk Labs was launched by Google earlier this month to tackle modern city life problems. Now Google aims to bring free Wifi access to people in New York and around the globe. Sidewalk Labs announced that they would be acquiring two companies behind New York City’s LinkNYC initiative, an ongoing plan to transform the old pay phones into free WiFi hubs.
Sidewalk Acquiring Control Group And Titan
Sidewalk Labs will be amalgamating the two companies Control Group and Titan through the acquisition. Control Group will provide the interface for the Google free wifi hubs and Titan will supervise the advertising that will generate revenue for the project. The new venture dubbed as Intersection will try to bring Free WiFi firstly to New York by using different types of urban infrastructure like payphones and bus stops and then plans to bring it to other cities.
Dan Doctoroff, the former CEO of Bloomberg, who is heading Sidewalk Labs said “The vision really is to make cities connected places where you can walk down any street and have access to free ultra high speed Wi-Fi. The possibilities from there are just endless.”
According to a report, New York’s old pay phone booths will be replaced by pylons that will have screens attached to them by September. Free Wi-Fi access will be given to anyone who is within a 150-foot radius; they will also be given facilities like free domestic phone calls, free phone charging and access to local information and services.
Dan Doctoroff also said that once Sidewalk Labs will be successful in providing Free WiFi, the company will try to solve other city problems like traffic, pollution, communications, energy and cost of living.
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