More than a dozen new digital street hubs are to be installed across Liverpool to replace the city’s old phone boxes.
This summer, BT Communications confirmed they were moving to replace some of the dated and unused phone boxes in the city centre with upgraded digital hubs that will offer free Wi-Fi and calls. Now, a series of planning applications have been lodged with Liverpool Council to expand the scheme outside of L1.
The new hubs would replace dozens of existing phone boxes, which in its application letter BT said would “declutter street scenes” and free up more pedestrian space. Sites identified as part of the wider roll-out include Edge Lane, St Michaels, Mossley Hill, Aigburth Road, Smithdown Road, Picton, Earlsfield Road, West Derby Road and Prescot Road.
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The company said the new hubs will offer a “sleek and modern answer to the ever-increasing demands of a digitally connected society' and will “reinvent phone boxes for the digital age.” Previous applications included James Street Station, outside the BBC Radio Merseyside headquarters, outside the Richard John Blackler in Great Charlotte Street and on the pavement outside Cafe and Grill on Mount Pleasant.
Street Hubs are free-standing structures featuring a fully accessible tablet interface and digital HD display screens on two sides. The units provide access to online council services, one touch connection to four national charities for support, BT’s phone book, weather information, maps and wayfinding, as well as FAQs and instructions.
The new hubs would allow users to make free calls through a directional speaker and built-in microphone, with noise-cancelling technology and adjustable volume. Alternatively, a standard headset or earphones can be plugged into the built-in headphone jack.
Calls aren’t time-limited, with the tablet and speaker are set back and sheltered from the sides, allowing privacy for personal communications, according to BT’s documentation submitted to the local authority. In addition, the speaker volume is automatically reduced at night, except for emergency calls.
BT said unlike payphones, Street Hubs don’t include or need a handset, nor accept incoming calls. However, the company said “a small number of locations drew attention to local drug issues, with those involved misusing free call services.
“Following this we invested significantly in developing call restriction capabilities.” A date has yet to be established for the proposals to go before Liverpool Council’s planning committee for a final decision on the installations."
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