Imagine the following situation: in the (perfect) world where everyone has cell phones but not everyone (because not everything is perfect) has a data plan, what to do with all the liabilities of disused phone booths scattered around cities? Turn them into free Wi-Fi hotspots! 6x3p6i
Jokes aside, it's something like the Spectrum Interactive is doing in London. The famous red telephone booths, in certain streets and areas of the city, will receive connection equipment free wifi. No financial cost – as nothing comes for free, to use the service, you will need to provide your phone number and email address to receive an e-coupon from a store in the vicinity of the phone booth. It's a business model that can work mainly with tourists, who carry their devices but don't use a data connection due to the prohibitive costs of international roaming.
But of course, we're not going to wait for someone to use this service with some device bigger than a tablet – or will we?
An important reminder: Oi, last year, implemented a similar pilot project in Rio de Janeiro, with free Wi-Fi connectivity at payphones. Differently from what is happening in London, where the iconic red booths are being used for a new function, Oi developed a new payphone model, which did not please either the population or the city hall, which requested that the payphones be removed, for be ugly, uncomfortable and easy targets for predation. A feather.
