Well, if New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio can have his way, the payphone booths of the Big Apple will all be converted into WiFi hotspots that would blanket the city's five boroughs with free wireless Internet access!
"By using a historic part of New York's street fabric, we can significantly enhance public availability of increasingly-vital broadband access, invite new and innovative digital services, and increase revenue to the city — all at absolutely no cost to taxpayers," said de Blasio in a statement.
The payphones will still offer traditional phone service, as well as free 911 and 311 calls over and above free WiFi.
In addition to that they will also contain free cellphone charging stations and interactive touch screens that will facilitate business transactions.
Dana Spiegel, Executive Director of NYCwireless, said: "If this is any indication of things to come, we're very excited about the city's commitment to open, competitive and innovative solutions to bring the Internet to everyone."
If this venture is successful it could provide a blueprint for other big cities to follow in New York City's footsteps.
