BT and Newcastle Council have announced plans to install new ‘Street Hubs’ in Newcastle-Under-Lyme city centre, to replace outdated phone boxes. The Stoke Sentinel reports that the hubs will have LED screens to display information and advertising content, as well as ultra-fast wi-fi and direct emergency service access buttons. 

The hubs will also allow the public to charge electronic devices, and make free regular telephone calls. The new hubs have a much smaller footprint than traditional telephone kiosks, reducing street clutter and allowing for the removal of the outdated phone booths from busy urban areas.

Newcastle Borough Council said in a statement: “Street Hubs are free to use, fully accessible community assets connecting and improving local streets in urban areas. At no cost to taxpayers or end users, Street Hubs provide communities with an unprecedented suite of essential urban tools.”

It added: “The screens display content at 10-second intervals, both the commercial content that funds the service as well as a wide range of local community and council content. Every Street Hub includes a direct 999 call button that automatically shares its location with the authorities, improving safety in an area and helping in the reporting of crime and disorder.”

The Street Hubs will be remotely monitored to discourage antisocial behaviour, and inspected and cleaned every two weeks. Any misuse of the free call service by organised criminals will be swiftly dealt with, by limiting or disabling the call to mobile facilities. 

Digital street advertising displays are replacing traditional static billboards, as they offer the advantage of being able to be rotated and updated within a short time frame. This enables advertisers to target a very specific audience for their products or services, based on research and analysis of the vehicular and foot traffic.