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Britain’s telephone boxes are getting a 21st century makeover! BT is turning thousands into hi-tech Street Hubs with WiFi and free phone chargers

  • BT turns phone boxes into Street Hubs with free WiFi and phone chargers
  • They offer free landline and mobile calls in the UK and 999 calls at the touch of a button

By Jim Norton Technology Editor for The Daily Mail

Published: | Updated:

Thousands of old telephone boxes will be given a makeover for the 21st century, BT has announced.

The telecom giant turns them into Street Hubs with WiFi, phone chargers and screens with real-time municipal updates.

Because old-fashioned numbers no longer have to be called, the new versions have only one button to call the emergency services.

BT has announced a ten-year partnership with media company Global, which will take them to 200 towns and cities from 2025.

All the new features will be free – funded by the advertising revenue from the huge digital displays on either side.

Thousands of old telephone boxes are getting a makeover for the 21st century, BT has announced (stock image)

The telecom giant is turning them into Street Hubs with WiFi, phone chargers and screens with real-time council updates

In contrast, the old telephone boxes reportedly cost between £300 and £600 a year as they fell into disrepair.

At their peak there were a total of 92,000 in Britain, but these slowly disappeared with the advent of the mobile phone.

BT has recently been working to bring them up to date by making them free Street Hubs.

As well as boosting mobile phone signals anywhere within a 150m radius, it will install free USB charging points and touchscreen tablets that display real-time public information.

They also offer free UK landline and mobile calls – and enable 999 calls at the touch of a button.

Bas Burger, CEO of BT Business, said: ‘BT’s phone boxes have long been an iconic feature on Britain’s streets – and as the way we all communicate changes, today’s announcement marks another step into the future.’

Although they first appeared on British streets in the late 19th century, telephone boxes were not standardized across Britain until 1921.

Because old-fashioned numbers no longer have to be called, the new versions have only one button to call the emergency services

Although they first appeared on British streets in the late 19th century, telephone boxes were not standardized across Britain until 1921.

Initially made of concrete, their design gradually changed – only later turning red in an effort to help people see them better.

Many fans of the classic red telephone box were keen to recycle them, with one telephone box in Cambridgeshire converted into a pub.

BT is also selling its most recognizable K6 telephone box – introduced in 1935 to celebrate King George V’s Silver Jubilee – for £1,750.

While it might be a bit expensive to buy one for your home, the company is also offering the public the chance to ‘adopt’ one for £1.

Several local communities have done this and turned them into libraries, coffee shops and mini art galleries.

Umar Khalid stands 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 telephone 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 wide variety of designs – and it was not until 1921 that the GPO, which had recently been in charge of the telephone system, produced its first standardized kiosk, called Kiosk One (K1).

Pictured: the first standardized kiosk, called Kiosk One (K1)

Only 150 were ordered at £5 each, and they were mostly painted cream with a red door.

Perhaps the most recognizable and widespread is the K6 telephone box – designed by Sir Giles Gilbert Scott and introduced in 1935, to celebrate King George V’s Silver Jubilee.

Throughout the twentieth century, telephone booths were an important part of city and town life, allowing millions of people across the country to connect with their loved ones.

The peak came in 1992, when there were 92,000 BT-operated telephone boxes in Britain.

However, advances in technology such as the Internet, mobile phones and IP technology have made telephone booths much less necessary than before.

In recent years, defunct telephone boxes have been converted into libraries, local information points, mini art galleries, coffee shops, bakeries, micro nightclubs and even defibrillators.

BT has also started supplying the ‘modern phone box’: Street Hubs.

Street Hubs give hundreds of people access to super-fast free WiFi at speeds of up to 1Gbps, as well as free UK landline and mobile calls, 999 calls, phone charging stations, area maps, driving directions and real-time information such as tube updates, train times and weather .

Source: BT

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