A smart reuse of phone booths

Retro phone booths are being up-cycled as Wi-Fi hotspots throughout Australia.

Late last year, Telstra launched a trial of 1000 new Wi-Fi hotspots across Australia. The trial involved converting some existing Telstra payphones into Wi-Fi hotspots that allowed users to access the internet using smartphones and tablets free of charge for up to 30 minutes.

The trial has taken place in some of Australia’s busiest tourist hubs, including Sydney’s Bondi Beach, Melbourne’s Bourke Street Mall, Brisbane’s Queen Street Mall and Perth’s central business district. Telstra will roll out 500,000 Wi-Fi hotspots around Australia by mid-2015. Telstra is planning to bring Wi-Fi internet to community areas and social precincts, as well as shopping strips, business centres and transport hubs.

It is fantastic that the iconic phone booth has adopted new technology to continue its purpose in connecting people.

The Telstra phone booth is a significant historic project of Street Furniture Australia. It was originally designed in 1982 by SFA directors Darrel Conybeare and William Morrison. As public payphones have become less relevant with the onset of smart phones and mobile internet services, it is fantastic that the iconic phone booth has adopted new technology to continue its purpose in connecting people.

Look out for a Telstra phone booth that features a pink cube on top with a white Wi-Fi logo, and trial it for yourself.