PHONE company BT is planning to remove FIVE payphone kiosks in the centre of Taunton - with proposals to replace them with four 'street hubs'.

The company has applied to get rid of public phone boxes in East Street, Fore Street, High Street and North Street.

In their place, it has unveiled plans to instal 75inch LCD advert screens.

Somerset County Gazette:

If Somerset West and Taunton Council approves a planning application submitted on behalf of the phone company, the BT Street Hubs using the latest digital technology would offer a range of benefits such as free wi-fi and emergency calls, mobile charging and digital advertising.

A BT spokesperson said: “We are planning to remove five payphones in Taunton and have applied to Somerset West and Taunton Council to replace them with four new BT Street Hubs.

“Street Hubs use the latest digital technology and offer a range of benefits to residents, businesses and visitors. That includes free ultra-fast Wi-Fi, free emergency calls, rapid mobile charging and digital advertising for local businesses.

“They offer a real boost to the high street in thriving towns like Taunton with wayfinding information for tourists and the capacity to be fitted with signal-boosting 4G and 5G mini mobile masts.

"For local authorities, they offer free screen time to help promote community services and can be fitted with built-in sensors to monitor air quality and CO2 levels.”

BT is rolling out the new Street Hub units in cities and towns across the UK.

 

Over the past five years, the InLink service rolled out 494 structures in 23 cities offering 1Gbps free public wi-fi, free UK calls, USB charging, an emergency services button and a range of other digital services, all funded by advertising displays.

After the suppliers of InLinks went into administration in 2019, the firm was no longer able to supply units to BT.

Since then, BT has been working on a new and improved unit of its own, the BT Street Hub 2.0, that it now wants to roll out in the Taunton area.

A BT spokesperson said: "BT Street Hubs will provide a sleek and modern answer to the ever increasing demands of a digitally connected society.

"BT Street Hubs have all the existing features of the previous InLink unit but has better Wi-Fi range and capabilities to include environmental sensors, insight counting and small cell mobile connectivity."