Thousands of old phone boxes are set to get a 21st century makeover, BT has announced.
The telecoms giant is turning them into Street Hubs with Wi-fi, phone chargers, and screens showing real-time council updates.
With no more old-fashioned numbers to dial, the new versions will have just one button to call the emergency services.
BT announced a ten-year partnership with media firm Global that will bring them into 200 towns and cities from 2025.
All of the new features will be free – funded by the advertising revenue from the huge digital displays on either side.
Thousands of old phone boxes are set to get a 21st century makeover, BT has announced (stock image)
The telecoms giant is turning them into Street Hubs with Wi-fi, phone chargers, and screens showing real-time council updates
In contrast, the old phone boxes reportedly cost between £300 and £600 a year running as they fell into disrepair.
At their peak, there were 92,000 in total across the UK – but they have suffered a slow demise with the advent of the mobile phone.
BT has in recent times been working to adapt them to more modern times by turning them into free Street Hubs.
As well as boosting mobile phone signal everywhere within 500ft, they will have free USB charging points installed and touch-screen tablets showing real-time public information.
They also offer free UK landline and mobile calls – and allow 999 calls at the touch of a button.
Bas Burger, chief executive of BT Business, said: ‘BT’s payphones have long been an iconic feature on the UK’s streets – and with the way we all communicate changing, today’s announcement marks a further step into the future.’
Though they first appeared on British streets in the late 19th century, phone boxes only became standardised across the UK in 1921
With no more old-fashioned numbers to dial, the new versions will have just one button to call the emergency services
Though they first appeared on British streets in the late 19th century, phone boxes only became standardised across the UK in 1921.
At first made out of concrete, their design gradually changed – and only turned red later on in a bid to help people see them better.
Many fans of the classic red phone box have been keen to recycle them, with one phone box in Cambridgeshire turned into a pub.
BT also sells the most recognisable K6 phone box – introduced in 1935 to celebrate the Silver Jubilee of King George V – for £1,750.
While buying one for your house might prove a little steep, the company also offers the public the chance to ‘adopt’ one for £1.
Several local communities have done so, turning them into libraries, coffee shops, and mini art galleries.
Umar Khalid is stood next to his Kape Barako coffee shop, opened in a K6 kiosk in Hampstead, North London (left), while Ben Spier poses in front of his K6 salad bar kiosk in Bloomsbury Square, Holborn
The phone box: A staple of British culture since 1921
The very first telephone box was developed in the late 19th century by BT’s predecessor, the General Post Office (GPO).
There was a huge variety of designs – and it wasn’t until 1921 that the GPO, newly in charge of the telephone system, first produced a standardised kiosk, named Kiosk One (K1).
Pictured: the first standardised kiosk, named Kiosk One (K1)
Just 150 were ordered at a cost of £5 each, and they were usually painted cream with a red door.
Perhaps the most recognisable and widespread is the K6 telephone box – designed by Sir Giles Gilbert Scott and introduced in 1935, in celebration of the Silver Jubilee of King George V.
Throughout the 1900s, telephone boxes were a staple of town and village life, helping millions of people connect with their loved ones around the country.
The peak came in 1992 – when there were 92,000 BT operated phone boxes across the UK.
However, with the advancement of technology, like the internet, mobile phones and IP technology, the phone boxes were needed much less than before.
In recent years, defunct phone boxes have been turned into libraries, local information points, mini art galleries , coffee shops, bakeries, micro-nightclubs, and even defibrillators.
BT has also started to provide the ‘modern day phone box’ – Street Hubs.
Street Hubs let hundreds of people access super-fast free Wi-Fi with speeds of up to 1Gbps, as well as free UK landline and mobile calls, 999 calls, charging stations for phones, maps of the area, directions and real-time info like tube updates, train times and weather.
Source: BT
